LIBRARY  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 

AT  URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 

IN  MEMORY  OF 

STEWART  S.  HOWE 

JOURNALISM  CLASS  OF  1928 


STEWART  S.  HOWE  FOUNDATION 


973 . 781 
Eb9o 
c  op .    2 


I.H.S. 


"CARE  FOR  HIM  WHO  BORE  THE 

HEAT  ArtD  Bf«DEN  OF  THE  BATTLE." 

A.LINCOLN. 


Co/umbi3.     Unless  you,  my  .son,  save  me,  /  wi//  be 
ruined.     Go  and  do  your  duty,  and  if  you  save  me 
Iwill  be  your  generous  friend  and  proieclor 
aa   long  as  you  live."" 


Observations  of  an   Illinois 

Boy  in  Battle,  Camp  and 

Prisons  — 1861  to  1865 


By  Henry  H.  Eby 

MENDOTA,  ILL. 


V 


Published  by  the  Author,  1910 


Copyright,  1910 
By  HENRY  H.  EBY 


??/ 


DEDICATED  TO  MY  COMRADES  OF  THE  CIVIL  WAR, 
ESPECIALLY  THOSE  OF  COMPANY  C,  SEVENTH  ILLI- 
NOIS CAVALRY,  OF  WHICH  I  WAS  A  MEMBER 


PREFACE. 

The  story  contained  in  this  book  is  a  true  one.  It  was 
taken  from  letters,  memoranda  and  memory.  The  author 
has  in  his  possession  twenty-nine  letters  written  by  him 
while  in  the  army,  from  1861  to  1865,  and  sent  to  his  rel- 
atives, who  returned  them  to  him  at  the  close  of  the 
war. 

The  memoranda  were  written  soon  after  his  return 
from  the  army.  The  accounts  taken  from  memory  are 
reasonably  correct,  as  the  scenes  through  which  he  passed, 
though  here  poorly  portrayed,  are  of  a  character  not 
easily  forgotten.  They  are  indelibly  stamped  upon  the 
memory,  and  it  seems,  as  time  rolls  on,  that  it  renders 
the  recollection  of  them  even  more  vivid  and  distinct. 
After  revising  this  story  a  number  of  times  it  is  presented 
to  the  reader  in  its  present  form. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 
Beginning  of  the  Great  Rebellion,  April  12,  1861,   15 

CHAPTER  II. 

Beginning  of  Three-year  Service — Camp  Butler  and  Bird's 
Point — Night  Trip  to  Belmont — A  Reconnaissance 
into  Western  Kentucky,  23 

CHAPTER    III. 
New  Madrid,  Point  Pleasant,  and  Island  No.  10,   39 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Up  the  Rivers  to  Hamburg  Landing,  and  Thence  by  Land 
to  Corinth  and  Cortland,  Ala.,  47 

CHAPTER  V. 

From  Northern  Alabama  to  Nashville,  Tenn.,  and  Its 
Occupation  by  Us — Fight  at  Lavergne  and  Many 
Skirmishes 55 

CHAPTER  VI. 

The  Advance  on  Murfreesboro — B'attle  of  Stone  River — 
Occupation  of  Murfreesboro  by  the  Federals — Crip- 
ple Creek  and  Tullahoma  Campaign — Advance  on 
Chattanooga  and  Chickamauga — Stuck  in  the  Mud — 
Orders  to  Prevent  Foraging,  65 


10  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Battle  of  Chickamauga — Two  Days  of  Fearful  Fighting — 
The  Federals  Holding  Chattanooga,   93 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

My  Capture  by  the  Confederates — Good-bye  to  My  Faith- 
ful Horse — Introduction  to  Confederate  Diet — Packed 
in  Box  Cars  During  a  Journey  of  About  Nine  Hun- 
dred Miles — Fearful  Suffering,  119 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Entrance  into  Belle  Island  Prison  Pen — Discouraging  Out- 
look— Libby  Prison,  and  the  Smith  Prison 137 

CHAPTER  X. 

Our  Return  to  Danville — Many  Sick  with  Smallpox — 
Smallpox  Hospital,  and  Convalescent  Camp,  155 

CHAPTER   XI. 

Escape  from  Prison — Much  Suffering — A  Number  of  Nar- 
row Escapes  from  Recapture  and  Finally  Taken  In, ..163 

CHAPTER   XII. 

Our  Recapture  and  Return  to  Prison — Four  Days  in  Coun- 
ty Jail'  Behind  the  Bars — Journey  to  Richmond,  and 
Pemberton  Building,  189 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

My  Second  Entrance  into  Belle  Island  Prison  Pen — In- 
tense Suffering  from  Cold  and  Hunger — Many  Die,  . .  199 


CONTENTS  11 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Under  the  Protection  of  "  Old  Glory "  Once  More — 
Caught  in  a  Terrific  Gale  and  Nearly  Shipwrecked — 
Land  at  Annapolis,  Md. — Stripped,  Scoured,  and 
Dressed  in  New  Uniforms,  221 

CHAPTER   XV. 
My  Return  to  My  Company  and  Regiment,  May  25,  1864,  233 

CHAPTER   XVI. 
Reminiscences  of  George  W.  Westgate,   245 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Letter  from  Calvin  W.  Hudson — His  Escape,  Recapture, 
and  Escape  the  Second  Time,  249 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
The  Consequences  of  War,  255 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
A  Chapter  to  the  Boys  and  Girls,   263 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Birth  of  "  Old   Glory," .271 

CHAPTER    XXI. 
The   Consequences   of  Secession,    273 

CHAPTER   XXII. 
A  Talk  with  the  Comrades,   281 


Then. 


Now. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Beginning  of  the  Great  Rebellion  in  the  United  States  of 
America,  April  12,  1861. 

The  "  Star  of  the  West,"  a  United  States  boat,  was 
fired  upon  by  the  rebel  batteries  in  Charleston  harbor  on 
Jan.  9,  1861,  which  some  people  claim  as  the  beginning  of 
the  War  of  the  Rebellion ;  but  the  firing  on  Fort  Sumter 
was  the  time  when  the  war  was  really  inaugurated. 

Fort  Sumter,  a  United  States  fort  located  at  the  en- 
trance to  Charleston  harbor,  was  fired  upon  by  the  Con- 
federates, April  12,  1861,  and  Major  Anderson,  who  was 
in  command  of  the  fort,  was  obliged  to  surrender  to 
them. 

This  caused  great  excitement  throughout  the  United 
States.  Soon  after  a  call  was  issued  by  President  Lincoln 
for  75,000  three  months'  troops,  which  was  responded  to 
in  a  very  short  time.  Patriotism  ran  high,  and  it  seemed 
to  most  of  us  that  the  government  should  be  defended  at 
all  hazards.  The  fife  and  drum  were  soon  heard  on  the 
streets  of  Mendota,  111.,  and  throughout  the  loyal  States. 
Quite  a  number  of  young  men,  including  myself,  from 
Mendota  and  vicinity,  at  once  signed  our  names  to  the 


16  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

roll  of  enlistment.  I  was  now  19  years  of  age,  and  con- 
sidered it  my  duty  to  help  defend  the  flag. 

By  the  latter  part  of  April  a  company  of  about  100  was 
organized  in  Mendota,  with  Capt.  Rust  as  commander. 
We  were  drilled  here  for  a  few  days  before  leaving  for 
Springfield.  We  were  all  rather  green  in  regard  to  mili- 
tary affairs  and  it  was  laughable  to  see  the  performance. 
There  was  about  as  much  awkwardness  shown  as  there 
would  be  in  breaking  a  pair  of  young  oxen.  In  a  few  days 
we  started  for  Springfield,  111.  On  the  day  of  our  de- 
parture, which  was  April  19,  1861,  the  excitement  in  Men- 
dota was  beyond  description.  It  was  probably  as  intense  as 
when  McClellan's  army  left  Washington  for  the  capture 
of  Richmond.  People  came  flocking  into  town  from  all 
the  surrounding  country  and  villages,  with  flags  flying,  to 
see  the  soldiers  start  off  for  the  war.  The  streets  were 
crowded  with  people  who  came  to  bid  us  the  last  good- 
bye. Flags  were  unfurled  and  speeches  made  in  honor 
of  our  departure. 

About  11  o'clock  all  who  had  enlisted  were  formed  in 
two  ranks  in  front  of  the  Illinois  Central  freight  house, 
facing  toward  it,  when  a  Miss  Davis,  who  stood  upon  a 
raised  platform  at  the  northwest  corner  of  the  building, 
delivered  an  appropriate  address,  presenting  us  with  an 
elegant  flag  in  behalf  of  the  citizens  of  Mendota.  This 
was  responded  to  in  a  happy  manner  in  behalf  of  the  com- 


IN   BATTLE,    CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 


17 


pany  by  L.  B.  Crooker,  a  chubby  farmer  boy  about  20 
years  of  age,  who  had  drifted  to  Mendota  for  the  purpose 
of  studying  law,  and  who  had  also  enlisted. 

He  afterwards  served  his  country  with  honor  during 
the  greater  part  of  the  war,  receiving  several   severe 


Presentation  of  the  Flag1  at  the  Freight  House. 

wounds  while  serving  as  a  commissioned  officer.  At  the 
expiration  of  his  term  of  service  he  returned  home  and 
studied  law,  which  profession  he  followed  for  a  number 
of  years,  serving  also  in  various  offices. 

About  12  o'clock  we  marched  to  the  depot,  and  an  im- 
mense crowd  of  people  gathered  around  us,  bade  us  good- 


18  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$ 

bye,  and  we  boarded  the  train  and  were  soon  on  our  way 
to  Springfield,  where  we  arrived  the  following  morning 
and  met  a  number  of  companies  from  different  parts  of 
the  State.  A  few  days  after  our  arrival  we  were  organ 
ized  into  a  regiment,  which  required  ten  companies.  The 
Mendota  company  was  made  Co.  B,  and  the  regiment  the 
12th  Illinois  Infantry,  with  Col.  McArthur  in  command, 
who  was  subsequently  commissioned  Major  General. 

The  Mendota  company  contained  more  than  the  re- 
quired number  of  men.  Among  the  surplus  bone  and 
sinew  who  found  no  place  in  the  home  company  were 
L. .  B.  Crooker,  James  W.  Larabee,  William  Eckert, 
George  C.  Loomis,  S.  P.  Whitmore  and  myself,  who  all 
determined  to  stick  together  and  stay  in  service.  We  im- 
mediately began  looking  about  for  an  opening  large 
enough  to  hold  these  six  husky  farmer  boys,  and  it  was  at 
last  accomplished  by  entering  Co.  H  of  the  same  regi- 
ment. This  was  from  Tiskilwa,  and  was  commanded  by 
Capt.  Swain,  who  subsequently  lost  his  life  at  Shiloh. 
We  remained  together  in  the  same  mess  until  discharged 
at  the  end  of  three  months. 

It  was  now  imagined  that  we  were  going  south  to 
crush  the  Rebellion  at  once,  but,  alas,  we  failed  to  realize 
what  was  before  us.  Little  did  we  think  that  it  would  re- 
quire four  long  years  to  end  the  great  Rebellion.  We  re- 
mained here  several  weeks,  passing  the  time  in  drilling 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$ 


19 


and  running  about  town.  On  May  25  we  were  trans- 
ferred to  Caseyville,  111.,  about  ten  miles  east  of  St.  Louis, 
where  we  remained  a  month  or  more.  While  here  we 
received  a  good  many  instructions  in  military  tactics,  and 
soon  considered  ourselves  equal  to  Napoleon  or  any  other 
great  general. 


The  Kicking1  Musket. 

The  guns  we  received  were  of  the  old  kicking  variety, 
and  could  kick  equal  to  a  mule.  I  can  well  remember 
having  a  very  lame  shoulder  from  the  effects  of  dischar- 
ging one  of  these  firearms.  It  reminded  me  of  a  story  I 
heard  when  I  was  a  boy,  about  an  Irish  soldier  in  an 


20  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$ 

Illinois  regiment  during  the  Mexican  War.  One  day 
during  a  small  engagement  the  soldier  fired  at  the  enemy 
with  one  of  those  kicking  guns,  which  knocked  him  over 
backward  flat  on  the  ground.  His  captain,  thinking  that 
he  was  shot,  said,  "  Mike,  are  you  wounded  ?  "  He  re- 
plied, "  Captain,  it  seems  as  though  I  had  the  wrong  end 
against  my  shoulder." 

.The  latter  part  of  June  the  12th  was  transferred  to 
Cairo,  111.  We  marched  across  the  country  from  Casey- 
ville  to  East  St.  Louis,  then  got  on  board  a  steamer  and 
went  down  the  Mississippi,  arriving  at  our  destination  on 
the  following  day.  The  only  excitement  occurring  on  the 
way  down  the  river  was  caused  by  a  man  on  the  Missouri 
shore  waving  a  rebel  flag  at  us  while  passing.  We  went 
into  camp  at  Cairo  on  the  river  bottom  behind  the  levee, 
our  camp  being  about  ten  or  fifteen  feet  below  high  water 
mark  in  the  river.  The  levee  was  constructed  for  the 
purpose  of  keeping  high  water  in  the  river  from  over- 
flowing the  city.  This  camp  proved  to  be  worse  than  any 
experienced  during  all  our  subsequent  three  years'  serv- 
ice. While  here  we  received  a  visit  from  Gen.  McClellan, 
who  addressed  us. 

We  remained  here  during  the  balance  of  the  three 
months'  term,  and  nearly  all  of  us  were  sick,  caused  by 
the  malaria  of  the  river  bottoms  and  other  causes.  After 
the  expiration  of  the  three  months'  term  of  service  I  en- 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$  21 

listed  for  three  years,  in  Co.  C,  7th  Illinois  Cavalry.  L.  B. 
Crocker,  James  W.  Larabee,  and  S.  P.  Whitmore  enlisted 
in  Co.  I,  55th  Illinois  Infantry,  William  Eckert  remained 
at  home,  and  George  C.  Loomis  remained  in  Co.  H  of  the 
12th,  became  a  sergeant,  and  was  twice  wounded,  losing 
his  right  arm  at  Altona.  L.  B.  Crocker  received  promo- 
tion as  a  solace  for  four  wounds,  and  Larabee  was  twice 
wounded,  receiving  the  grade  of  sergeant,  and  brought 
home  a  glorious  decoration  in  the  form  of  a  Congressional 
medal  for  gallantry,  a  proper  reward  for  his  splendid  sol- 
diership. 


CHAPTER  II. 

Beginning  of  Three  Years'  Service. — Camp  Butler  and 
Bird's  Point. 

The  three  months'  service  ended  in  August,  1861,  and 
I  enlisted  for  three  years  in  Sept.,  1861.  Was  discharged 
Oct.  15,  1864,  serving  in  all  three  years  and  about  four 
months.  The  7th  was  organized  at  Camp  Butler,  near 
Springfield,  111.,  in  the  fall  of  1861,  where  it  was  partly 
drilled.  Prescott  Bartlett,  of  Sublette,  111.,  was  chosen 
captain  of  Co.  C,  John  H.  Shaw  of  Lee  Center,  111.,  first 
lieutenant,  and  B.  F.  Berkley,  of  Sublette,  111.,  second  lieu- 
tenant. S.  H.  Richardson  was  orderly  sergeant,  and 
James  Henderson  commissary  sergeant.  The  names  of 
other  sergeants  were  R.  D.  McCord  and  David  S.  Porter, 
and  the  corporals  I  have  forgotten.  In  November  the 
regiment  was  transferred  to  Bird's  Point,  Mo.,  where  it 
went  into  winter  quarters  and  remained  until  about 
March  1,  1862. 

The  picture  represents  a  camp  in  the  idle  days  between 
the  great  campaigns.  The  army  has  settled  down  to 
weeks  of  forced  inaction,  and  the  men  make  themselves 
as  comfortable  as  the  means  at  hand  will  allow.  They 


24 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l- 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65  25 

have  shown  wonderful  thrift  and  industry  in  housing 
themselves.  The  tent  in  the  foreground  shows  this.  Its 
builders  have  made  a  pen  of  logs  neatly  chinked  with 
chunks  and  clay  to  keep  out  the  wind.  They  have  built 
a  fireplace  of  clay  and  used  an  old  plow  on  top  of  the  chim- 
ney to  assist  the  draft.  The  roof  is  made  of  pieces  of 
shelter  tents  and  ponchos  and  at  the  entrance  has  been 
laid  a  pavement  of  pork-barrel  staves  to  keep  mud  from 
being  carried  into  the  sleeping  apartment.  The  other 
tents  in  the  distance  show  similar  devices.  The  whole  is 
as  accurate  a  picture  of  a  winter  camp  as  the  camera 
could  make. 

The  veteran  in  the  foreground  is  a  man  whose  love  of 
music  is  so  strong  as  to  be  irrepressible.  He  has  con- 
structed a  fiddle  out  of  a  cigar  box  and  such  other  mate- 
rial as  he  could  lay  his  hands  on.  It  shows  as  much  in- 
genuity as  his  tent.  Probably  the  tail  of  the  Colonel's 
horse  has  suffered  to  furnish  hair  for  the  bow.  The  music 
made  is  far  from  that  which  could  be  drawn  from  a  high- 
priced  instrument,  but  he  and  his  boy  listener  enjoy  it  a 
hundredfold  more  than  the  most  cultivated  listener  ever 
did  high-priced  strains.  And  he  plays  the  tune  that  al- 
ways went  most  directly  to  the  soldier's  heart,  "  Home, 
Sweet  Home." 

While  at  Bird's  Point  the  7th  performed  the  ordinary 
camp  and  picket  duties,  occasionally  going  out  on  a  scout- 


26  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6^ 

ing  expedition,  making  a  visit  to  the  vicinity  of  the 
enemy.  Every  morning  about  daybreak  four  men  from 
the  cavalry  were  sent  out  on  the  road  leading  from  the 
camp  outside  of  the  picket  line  for  the  purpose  of  pre- 
venting a  surprise  by  the  enemy.  One  morning,  some 
time  after  they  had  gone  out  as  usual,  the  four  horses  re- 
turned to  camp  riderless  and  with  blood-stained  saddles. 
A  force  of  the  boys  was  immediately  sent  out  to  investi- 
gate. After  they  had  passed  some  distance  beyond  the  pick- 
et lines,  the  bodies  of  the  four  men  were  found  lying  m  the 
road  dead,  and  almost  riddled  with  buckshot,  supposed  to 
have  been  fired  from  shotguns.  It  was  evidently  the  work 
of  bushwhackers,  as  there  was  a  large  log  lying  within  a 
few  feet  of  the  road  and  parallel  with  it,  and  behind  this  in 
the  soft  ground  were  seen  tracks  made  by  a  number  of 
men,  and  the  conclusion  was  reached  that  these  bush- 
whackers had  concealed  themselves  behind  the  log  and 
awaited  the  approach  of  the  four  men  until  they  were 
very  near.  They  then  fired  upon  them,  probably  kill- 
ing them  instantly. 

Gen.  Oglesby  was  in  command  of  the  camps  on 
Bird's  Point,  during  the  winter  of  1861-1862.  I  re- 
member him  well,  as  I  was  an  orderly  at  his  head- 
quarters a  number  of  times  while  on  the  Point.  Gen. 
Oglesby  appeared  to  me  as  being  an  officer  who  fair- 
ly well  understood  his  business,  and  attended  to  it. 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6^  27 

In  some  respects  he  appeared  like  Gen.  Grant,  modest, 
kind,  and  thoroughly  loyal  to  his  country.  Gen.  Ogles- 
by  was  not  of  the  aristocratic  class,  but  appeared 
neatly  dressed,  and  was  an  officer  who  used  good 
common  sense  in  commanding  his  troops. 

Soon  after  our  arrival  here  we  began  the  construc- 
tion of  barracks  for  winter  quarters,  which  were  built 
of  logs  in  log  house  fashion.  Co.  C's  building  was 
a  long,  one-story  structure,  with  bunks  for  beds, 
which  contained  straw  and  made  very  comfortable 
sleeping  places. 

About  Christmas  time  nearly  all  were  supplied 
with  good  things  from  home.  I  can  never  forget  the 
luxuries  we  received.  They  were  just  delicious.  I 
received  a  box  containing  a  roast  turkey,  a  number  of 
pies,  cakes,  and  other  things  too  numerous  to  men- 
tion. We  had  just  moved  into  our  new  barracks,  and 
stored  away  our  delicacies  for  safe  keeping  until 
wanted.  Late  one  afternoon,  when  nearly  all  of  us 
had  gone  to  water  our  horses,  one  who  remained  in 
camp  lit  a  candle  and  placed  it  under  the  bunk  to  aid 
him  in  searching  for  something  he  had  lost.  The 
lighted  candle  immediately  set  fire  to  the  straw  in  the 
bunk  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  whole  building  was  in 
a  blaze.  When  we  returned  our  good  things  had 
nearly  all  been  destroyed  by  the  fire.  Scarcely  any- 


28  .IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6 1 -'65 

thing-  was  saved,  and  thus  our  anticipations  of  grand 
feasts  and  dinners  were  dashed  away.  We  were 
obliged  to  be  content  with  hard-tack,  bean  soup,  and 
bacon. 

The  event  of  the  day  was  falling  in  for  soup,  pre- 
pared by  the  cook  on  detail  for  the  day,  in  his  open- 
air  studio.  It  was  an  article  that  would  not  pass 
muster  at  a  fashionable  restaurant,  but  it  was  hot, 
there  was  usually  plenty  of  it,  the  beans  were  abundant 
and  as  good  as  Michigan  or  New  England  soil  could 
produce,  the  pork  was  the  finest  product  of  the  Illi- 
nois pork  raisers,  and  if  the  cook  had  been  mindful 
of  his  duty,  had  cooked  the  soup  long  enough,  and 
stirred  it  diligently  to  prevent  its  burning,  it  was  very 
appetizing,  went  right  to  the  spot,  and  built  fine  loco- 
motive apparatus  for  the  future  marching  and  battling. 
If  on  the  other  hand  he  had  been  careless  and  lazy, 
there  was  likely  to  be  a  summary  court-martial,  and 
he  was  lucky  if  he  escaped  with  nothing  worse  than 
being  tossed  in  a  blanket.  When  one  looks  on  the 
steaming  pot,  the  words  of  the  old  refrain  rise  at  once 
to  mind. 

"  Beans    for    breakfast, 
Beans   for   dinner, 
Beans  for  supper, 
Beans,  beans,  beans." 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$ 


30  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$ 

Our  blankets  and  shelter  being  also  gone,  we  were 
poorly  prepared  for  winter.  But  ere  long  we  were 
furnished  with  tents  and  new  blankets,  and  were  com- 
fortable again. 

George  Westgate,  George  McKeen,  William  Orris 
and  myself  occupied  a  tent  together.  It  was  a  small 
one,  and  after  lying  down  to  sleep  we  occupied  all 
the  floor  space  except  about  two  feet  of  its  length  at 
our  feet.  This  was  occupied  by  a  small  sheet  iron 
stove,  cooking  utensils,  and  a  water  pail.  One  even- 
ing after  retiring  Westgate  began  tickling  my  face 
with  a  straw.  He  thought  it  a  good  time  to  have  a 
little  fun  at  my  expense,  as  I  had  been  out  on  picket 
duty  the  night  previous  and  was  very  tired  and  sleepy. 
Having  fallen  asleep  Westgate  began  teasing,  which 
of  course  awakened  me.  I  insisted  that  he  should  stop 
bothering  me  which  he  did  until  after  I  fell  asleep 
again,  and  then  resumed  his  work  of  tormenting  me. 
Finally  I  told  him  that  I  would  put  him  out  of  the  tent 
if  he  did  not  stop,  and  becoming  impatient  I  jumped 
up  and  the  scuffle  commenced.  After  a  few  tumbles 
about  the  tent,  Westgate  struck  one  foot  among  the 
cooking  utensils  and  finally  stepped  into  the  water 
bucket,  which  was  full  of  water,  causing  it  to  splash 
about  the  tent  and  into  the  faces  of  Orris  and  McKeen, 
which  roused  their  tempers  and  they  yelled,  "  Eby, 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65  31 

put  him  out !  "  At  this  juncture  of  the  performance 
Westgate  was  willing  to  capitulate.  He  was  in  trouble, 
his  foot  being  forced  into  the  bucket  in  such  a  posi- 
tion that  it  was  a  difficult  matter  to  extricate  it.  I 
had  failed  to  put  him  out  of  the  tent,  but  his  unfor- 
tunate position  put  an  end  to  the  scuffle.  Our  attention 
was  now  turned  to  helping  him  out  of  his  difficulty. 
The  feet  being  of  the  largest  kind  used  for  plowing 
corn  in  Illinois,  and  the  utensil  being  only  the  regular 
size,  pretty  near  a  surgical  operation  was  necessary. 
The  following  morning,  the  boys  on  hearing  of  our 
affair  of  the  previous  night,  declared  that  they  did  not 
believe  impossibilities,  as  Westgate  could  never  have 
crammed  a  foot  the  size  of  his  into  a  common  water 
bucket. 

A  few  days  later  quite  a  number  of  troops  composed 
of  cavalry  were  sent  out  on  a  scouting  expedition, 
down  the  Mississippi  on  the  Missouri  side  to  a  small 
town  named  Belmont  (the  scene  of  Gen.  Grant's  first 
battle),  where  a  Confederate  battery  was  supposed  to 
be  located.  This  was  about  twenty  miles  from  our 
camp,  and  we  made  the  journey  mostly  during  the 
night.  We  found  nothing  of  importance  on  our  trip 
except  when  we  struck  the  river,  near  Belmont,  where 
we  discovered  a  Confederate  gunboat  in  very  close 
proximity,  but  the  land  battery  was  a  hoax.  It  being 


32  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

in  the  nighttime,  we  were  unable  to  see  the  boat  dis- 
tinctly, but  could  see  enough  of  it  to  satisfy  us  that  it 
was  a  dangerous  concern.  We  kept  quiet,  and  left 
that  neighborhood  as  soon  as  possible,  going  in  the 
direction  of  camp.  On  the  way  we  came  in  contact 
with  an  enemy  in  the  form  of  a  small  flock  of  geese 
not  far  from  a  farmhouse.  One  of  the  men  who  was  in 
advance  of  us  a  short  distance  caught  sight  of  them 
first.  They  hissed  at  him,  and  he  called  out :  "  Boys, 
I  have  found  a  squad  of  rebels,  and  they  hissed  at  me. 
They  should  be  made  prisoners  and  taken  along  to 
camp."  We  immediately  went  to  our  comrade's  as- 
sistance and  the  capture  was  soon  made.  Of  course, 
according  to  the  rules  of  war,  we  were  obliged  to  put 
them  under  guard  and  take  them  to  camp.  The  read- 
er may  guess  what  became  of  the  geese.  This  being 
the  day  before  Christmas,  these  captures  were  ap- 
propriate, and  after  the  manner  of  Yankee  soldiers 
were  duly  assimilated. 

On  the  way  to  camp,  the  night  being  intensely  dark, 
the  proper  trail  was  missed  and  we  became  entangled 
in  dense  thickets.  Hats  were  lost,  clothes  were  torn, 
faces  were  scratched  and  disfigured.  The  reader  can  im- 
agine the  amount  of  patience  required  of  us  to  keep 
a  smiling  face  on  this  occasion.  As  we  rode  through 
the  thickets  we  endeavored  to  keep  in  line  or  march  in 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65  33 

military  order,  that  is  by  twos,  and  follow  the  file 
leaders.  The  man  who  did  not  receive  a  severe  whack 
in  his  face,  by  a  branch  of  a  tree  bent  forward  by  his 
file  leader  until  it  received  a  very  high  tension,  then 
came  back  with  tremendous  force  against  him,  per- 
haps almost  dismounting  him,  was  considered  out  of 
place.  Some  of  the  language  fired  off  into  the  night 
air  would  not  be  considered  appropriate  at  a  Sunday- 
school  picnic.  The  man  who  emerged  from  this  af- 
fair with  a  smiling  countenance  was  looked  upon  as 
being  a  saint.  We  arrived  in  camp  at  Bird's  Point 
about  noon  the  following  day,  looking  like  a  lot  of 
Indian  warriors  with  their  war  paint  on  their  faces, 
being  scratched  and  battered  by  riding  through  the 
thickets. 

In  January,  1862,  an  army  was  organized  here  for 
the  purpose  of  making  a  reconnaissance  into  western 
Kentucky.  It  was  in  command  of  Gen.  U.  S.  Grant, 
and  Co.  C,  7th  Illinois  Cavalry,  was  detailed  as  hi? 
escort  on  this  expedition.  The  troops  consisted  of 
quite  a  large  force  of  infantry  and  artillery  from  Bird's 
Point  and  other  places.  We  were  out  six  or  eight 
days,  but  did  not  encounter  the  enemy  in  large  force. 
The  weather  a  part  of  the  time  was  very  unfavorable, 
and  we  rode  for  two  days  while  the  rain  was  pour- 
ing down.  I  was  on  outpost  picket  during  the  night 


34  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6 1 -'65 

following  the  first  rainy  day.  The  rain  continued 
nearly  all  night,  and  the  sergeant  in  command  of  the 
relief  failed  to  find  my  post  on  account  of  the  dense 
darkness.  Therefore  I  was  not  relieved  until  morn- 
ing, having  stood  in  the  rain  with  my  horse  all  night, 
keeping  a  good  lookout  for  the  enemy.  When  arriv- 
ing in  camp,  after  daylight,  the  rain  was  still  falling 
in  torrents.  I  was  thoroughly  wet,  sleepy  and  tired, 
and  the  boys  accused  me  of  being  cross,  which  I 
dared  not  deny.  Having  just  lain  down  to  take  a 
little  nap  when  the  bugle  sounded  for  boots  and  sad- 
dles, I  jumped  up,  feeling  as  the  boys  had  accused 
me.  All  this  time  the  rain  continued.  The  order  soon 
came  to  move  forward.  We  mounted  and  started  on 
the  way  back  toward  Bird's  Point,  riding  nearly  all 
day  in  a  pouring  rain. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  the  wind  commenced  blow- 
ing cold  from  the  northwest,  and  it  began  to  freeze 
and  snow  a  little.  Just  before  dark  we  were  given 
orders  to  halt  and  go  into  camp  in  the  woods,  by  the 
roadside,  which  was  obeyed.  We  cared  for  our 
horses  as  best  we  could  and  proceeded  to  build  fires. 
Co.  C  started  a  fire  under  a  large  log,  which  soon 
blazed  up  sufficiently  for  us  to  warm  ourselves.  We 
had  some  hardtack  and  bacon,  which  we  proceeded 
to  devour.  After  supper  I  fixed  up  a  sort  of  a  bed 


IN    RATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65  35 

near  the  log,  by  placing  considerable  rubbish  on  the 
ground,  in  order  to  keep  out  of  the  mud,  and  cover- 
ing this  with  brush  and  leaves.  I  then  pulled  off 
my  fine  cavalry  boots  and  set  them  up  near  the  fire, 
in  order  that  they  might  dry  out,  and  then  retired. 
When  I  arose  in  the  morning  and  took  hold  of  my 
boots  I  found  them  brittle  in  some  parts,  having 
been  scorched  by  the  fire  during  the  night.  When 
putting  them  on  they  broke,  so  that  they  were  ruined. 
After  breakfast  we  again  moved  on  toward  Bird's 
Point.  During  the  day,  when  riding  along  the  road, 
two  of  our  soldiers  belonging  to  an  infantry  regi- 
ment were  discovered  a  few  rods  away  who  had  just 
killed  and  dressed  a  hog,  and  had  it  hung  up  to  a 
tree.  (As  I  previously  stated  our  Co.  C  was  escort 
for  Gen.  Grant  on  this  expedition.)  Of  course  the 
General  also  discovered  the  men  and  dressed  hog,  and 
immediately  gave  the  command  to  halt,  which  was 
promptly  obeyed.  The  General  rode  out  of  ranks  and 
called  to  the  men  who  had  the  hog.  They  walked 
up  near  him  and  he  proceeded  to  lecture  them,  as  I 
well  remember,  being  within  twenty-five  or  thirty 
feet  and  overhearing  the  whole  conversation.  The 
first  question  the  General  asked  was,  "  Where  did 
you  procure  that  hog?"  The  answer  was,  "Foraged 
it."  The  General  then  spoke  as  follows:  "Men,  do 


36  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

you  not  know  that  kind  of  work  is  strictly  against 
orders?  "  He  talked  to  them  as  a  father  would  to  his 
sons.  He  then  said,  "  Sergeant,  take  charge  of  these 
men  under  guard,  and  report  them  to  headquarters." 
The  order  was  then  given,  "  Forward,"  and  we  rode 
toward  Bird's  Point.  I  could  not  help  thinking  about 
that  delicious  looking  fresh  pork,  but  it  was  a  con- 
solation to  know  that  the  boys  who  came  after  us 
would  not  let  it  go  to  waste.  I  never  learned  what 
became  of  the  two  soldiers  nor  the  hog.  I  was  too 
bashful  to  tell  the  General  about  my  craving  appetite 
for  some  of  it. 

This  was  our  first  experience  under  the  immediate 
command  of  the  great  General  Grant,  and  belonging  to 
the  escort  I  was  in  close  contact  with  him  a  number 
of  days,  and  had  an  opportunity  of  studying  his 
character.  Of  course  he  was  then  comparatively  ob- 
scure, but  had  reputation  enough  in  this  part  of  the 
army  to  arouse  curiosity.  The  impressions  of  an 
immature  youth,  if  not  valuable,  may  be  characteristic 
of  the  time  and  place. 

Gen.  Grant  had  not  the  imposing  stature  that  we 
in  our  then  romantic  notions  regarded  as  heroic.  He 
was  quiet,  kindly  and  considerate  under  all  circum- 
stances. He  indulged  in  no  parade  and  wore  no  fine 
feathers,  as  the  picture  books  had  caused  us  to  ex- 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$  37 

pect.  His  alertness  to  see,  and  his  fairness  to  correct 
all  breaches  of  discipline,  were  displayed  in  the  in- 
cident above  alluded  to,  while  his  gentle  but  firm 
way  of  applying-  the  remedy  was  impressive. 

These  characteristics  are  now  a  matter  of  history, 
but  were  then  only  known  to  those  in  his  immediate 
presence.  While  Gen.  Grant,  in  this  our  first  experi- 
ence in  his  presence,  at  first  disappointed  us  in  lack 
of  fuss  and  feathers,  he  impressed  us  with  confidence 
that  he  knew  his  business  and  attended  to  it,  and  we 
began  to  think  that  the  high  stepping  generals  so 
implanted  in  our  youthful  minds  were  not  so  much 
needed  as  practical  ones  of  another  mold. 

I  think  we  arrived  in  camp  at  Bird's  Point  the  fol- 
lowing day,  remaining  there  during  about  all  the 
month  of  February,  doing  the  ordinary  camp,  picket 
and  scouting  duties. 


CHAPTER  III. 
New  Madrid,  Point  Pleasant  and  Island  No.  10. 

About  March  1  the  movement  began  down  the  Miss- 
issippi on  the  Missouri  side  of  the  river  to  New  Mad- 
rid, and  later  to  Point  Pleasant,  where  the  7th  went 
into  camp, -remaining  there  about  three  or  four  weeks, 
doing  ordinary  camp  and  picket  duties.  The  camp  was 
located  in  the  woods,  which  contained  some  very  large 
trees.  One  night  a  terrible  tornado  passed  through 
our  camp,  uprooting  trees  and  blowing  down  nearly 
all  the  tents.  The  trees  crashed  down  among  the  men 
and  horses,  killing  two  men  and  a  number  of  horses 
belonging  to  our  regiment.  Each  company  had  one 
row  of  tents,  and  when  the  storm  came  on  nearly  all 
were  asleep.  A  large  tree  nearly  four  feet  in  diameter 
came  down  with  a  crash,  parallel  and  within  a  few 
feet  of  our  row  of  tents,  but  leaving  Co.  C  uninjured. 
We  congratulated  ourselves  on  our  narrow  escape. 
When  our  tent  went  down  we  jumped  up  and  tried 
to  get  out  from  under  it  as  quickly  as  possible.  I 
scrambled  out  through  a  stovepipe  hole  in  the  upper 
part  of  the  tent.  I  had  some  difficulty  in  passing 


40  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$ 

through  this  small  opening  and  the  boys  were  obliged 
to  come  to  my  assistance.  They  extricated  me,  and 
then  began  laughing  at  me,  about  jumping  through 
the  chimney. 

The  camp  was  located  a  short  distance  back  from 
the  river  out  of  reach  of  the  Confederate  batteries  on 
the  opposite  side.  They  occupied  several  small  forts 
on  the  east  side  of  the  river,  and  whenever  we  at- 
tempted to  get  water  from  it,  or  water  our  horses, 
they  would  open  fire  on  us  with  their  siege  guns.  On 
one  of  these  occasions  I  saw  an  oak  tree  about  fifteen 
inches  in  diameter  which  was  cut  nearly  off  by  a  shot 
from  the  large  gun.  Thereupon  we  abandoned  the  river, 
and  procured  water  from  a  frog  pond  near  the  camp. 
We  did  not  hesitate  to  use  water  from  the  pond  be- 
cause it  was  nicely  covered  over  with  a  green  scum. 

Gen.  Pope  was  in  command  of  the  land  forces  in 
this  vicinity,  and  by  this  time  had  concentrated  quite 
an  army.  One  night  during  the  stay  at  this  place, 
one  of  the  United  States  ironclads  named  Carondelet 
ran  the  gauntlet  past  Island  No.  10  and  came  down 
the  river  to  Point  Pleasant  without  sustaining  injury 
by  the  Confederate  fire.  The  following  day  it  captured 
the  small  forts  located  on  the  east  bank  of  the  river. 
I  witnessed  the  whole  affair,  which  did  not  continue 
a  very  long  time.  A  few  days  after  this  the  Con- 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65  41 

federate  forces  on  Island  No.  10  and  vicinity  sur- 
rendered to  Gen.  Pope. 

General  Pope,  as  I  saw  him,  appeared  to  me  like 
another  one  of  those  sound  minded,  honest,  patriotic 
and  well  informed  soldiers.  He  loved  his  country  and 
•his  flag,  and  as  he  appeared  to  me  and  what  I  learned 
about  him  caused  me  to  believe  that  he  understood 
his  business  and  attended  to  it.  Gen.  Pope,  accord- 
ing to  what  I  learned  about  him,  possessed  the  right 
conception  of  the  American  volunteer  soldier.  He 
once  said,  "  It  is  true  and  must  in  the  nature  of  things 
always  be  true,  that  in  a  free  country  and  among  a 
free  people  the  real  heroes  of  every  war  are  found  in 
the  ranks :  men  who  have  taken  up  arms  with  the  sole 
purpose  to  serve  their  country,  and  with  intelligent 
knowledge  of  the  object  for  which  they  dare  the  perils 
of  battle  and  disease." 

I  had  nearly  forgotten  to  tell  how  well  we  were  en- 
tertained a  portion  of  the  time  while  camping  in  the 
vicinity  of  Island  No.  10. 

There  were  in  the  river  six  large  United  States 
mortars  and  a  number  of  ironclad  gunboats.  The 
mortars  were  of  very  large  caliber,  capable  of  throw- 
ing a  shell  as  large  as  an  ordinary  water  bucket,  in 
diameter  I  think  twelve  inches  or  more.  The  mortars 
were  mounted  on  small  flatboats,  one  on  each  boat. 


42  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65  43 


Old   Abe. 


44  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$ 

During  a  period  of  about  three  weeks,  every  half  hour 
during  night  time  as  well  as  day,  one  of  those  large 
shells  from  a  mortar  was  sent  over  to  Island  No.  10, 
and  exploded  with  terrific  force.  Whenever  one  of 
those  mortars  was  discharged  it  would  fairly  shake 
the  earth  about  us.  During  a  few  nights  in  the  be- 
ginning of  the  siege  the  noise  made  by  those  guns 
disturbed  my  sleep,  but  I  soon  became  accustomed  to 
it.  The  gunboats  also  annoyed  the  Confederates  on 
the  island,  by  throwing  solid  shot  at  them.  While 
we  were  in  the  vicinity  of  Island  No.  10  and  New  Mad- 
rid, we^casionally  met  the  8th  Wisconsin  Regiment, 
which  carried  by  the  side  of  its  regimental  flag  the 
famous  war  eagle  (Old  Abe),  whose  photograph  ap- 
pears above.  I  well  remember  seeing  this  proud-ap- 
pearing bird  a  number  of  times,  while  it  was  being 
carried,  sitting  upon  its  perch,  beside  Old  Glory.  It 
appeared  to  me  about  as  large  as  a  fair-sized  turkey, 
and  it  served  through  a  three  years'  campaign,  return- 
ing to  its  native  State  in  safety,  after  passing  through 
many  battles.  When  Gen.  Pope's  command  had  fin- 
ished its  work  in  the  vicinity  of  Island  No.  10  it  went 
by  steamers  to  Hamburg  Landing,  Tenn.,  near  the 
battlefield  of  Shiloh. 


CEN.  P< 
CROSSED  APR.  7 185 


Map  of  Island  No.  10,  and  Vicinity. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Up  the  River  to  Hamburg  Landing  and  Thence  by 

Land  to  Corinth  and  Jacinto,  Miss.,  Tuscumbia 

and  Cortland,  Ala. 

Gen.  Pope's  army,  of  which  we  (the  7th)  were  a  part, 
on  April  18  embarked  on  steamers  and  moved  down 
the, river  toward  Memphis,  Tenn.,  but  after  going  in 
that  direction  some  distance  our  fleet  of  steamers  faced 
about  and  steamed  up  the  Mississippi  River  to  Cairo. 
From  thence  up  the  Ohio  to  the  mouth  of  the  Ten- 
nessee and  up  the  Tennessee  to  Hamburg  Landing, 
Tenn.,  where  we  landed  April  22.  We  were  sent  there 
for  the  purpose  of  assisting  the  armies  of  Buell  and 
Grant  (then  under  Gen.  Halleck)  who  had  fought 
the  battle  of  Shiloh  and  were  now  preparing  to  fol- 
low the  Confederate  army,  which  was  concentrating 
at  Corinth,  Miss. 

While  here  considerable  skirmishing  was  done.  One 
day  during  the  latter  part  of  April,  1862,  Co.  C  was 
ordered  out,  with  Capt.  Bartlett  in  command,  to  make 
a  reconnaissance  in  the  direction  of  Corinth.  We 
moved  out  through  a  timbered  country  interspersed 
with  considerable  underbrush.  When  out  a  number 


48  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$ 

of  miles  from  the  river,  in  looking  across  a  small  field 
to  the  opposite  side,  some  horsemen  were  discovered 
through  the  open  spaces  in  the  brush,  which  on  close 
investigation  proved  to  be  a  line  of  Confederate 
cavalry.  They  had  seemingly  discovered  us  and  were 
in  line  of  battle  and  ready.  Some  of  the  boys  did  not 
wait  for  orders,  but  left  the  ranks  and  started  toward 
the  enemy,  when  the  captain  called  out,  "  Keep  in 
line,"  "  Get  back  in  line,"  but  before  they  would  get 
back  some  others  would  start  out.  The  object  of  the 
Captain  was  to  get  all  in  line  and  then  make  a  charge. 
While  we  were  fooling  in  this  manner  the  Confederates 
gave  us  a  volley,  mortally  wounding  one  of  our  num- 
ber named  Dick  Springer,  of  Sublette,  111.,  who  died 
a  few  days  later.  Just  then  the  Confederates  started 
to  retreat  and  we  charged  on  them  as  fast  as  horses 
could  carry  us.  The  excitement  was  intense,  for  it 
was  a  race  between  us  and  the  enemy  with  the  ad- 
vantage on  our  side.  We  occasionally  gave  them  a 
shot  when  opportunity  afforded.  In  the  pursuit  several 
of  the  enemy  were  killed,  a  number  wounded  and  a 
few  taken  prisoners.  Some  of  their  horses  and  saddles 
were  also  captured,  and  those  of  the  enemy  who  re- 
mained ahead  of  us  were  chased  into  a  swamp  and 
there  the  pursuit  was  given  up,  it  not  being  prudent 
to  venture  any  farther.  When  the  swamp  was  reached 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$  49 

I  looked  about  and  counted  and  to  my  surprise  there 
were  only  seven  of  Co.  C  together  at  the  end  of  the 
chase.  The  remainder  were  strung  out  behind  for  a 
distance  of  nearly  a  half  mile.  A  laughable  and  yet 
dangerous  incident  happened  to  one  of  our  men  in 
this  chase.  A  large  oak  tree  had  fallen  to  the  ground, 
and  one  of  its  branches  projected  out  over  the  road 
unobserved  by  the  rider  who  was  going  at  full  speed 
and  came  in  contact  with  it.  The  horse  ran  under 
the  branch,  which  caught  the  saddle,  pulling  it  from 
the  horse  which  passed  on;  the  saddle  stopped  and 
the  rider  tumbled  over  the  limb  upon  the  ground.  At 
the  time  of  this  reconnaissance  a  young  attorney  from 
Mendota,  named  William  E.  Beck,  was  visiting  the 
company.  He  insisted  on  going  out  with  us  and  the 
Captain  furnished  him  a  horse  and  some  firearms. 
Although  he  was  not  an  enlisted  man  he  did  as  good 
service  as  any  of  us.  This  man  became  a  leading 
lawyer  and  died  a  member  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
Colorado.  We  came  out  of  this  skirmish  with  the 
loss  of  one  man,  while  the  enemy's  loss  was  five  or 
six  killed  and  wounded  and  quite  a  number  of  prison- 
ers. 

Soon  after  this  a  part  of  the  regiment  went  out  on 
another  skirmish,  in  which  I  did  not  participate  on  ac- 
count of  being  on  other  duty.  This  proved  to  be 


50  IN  BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$ 

quite  an  affair,  as  there  were  some  infantry  troops 
engaged  and  the  enemy  used  artillery.  Sergeant  Por- 
ter (later  captain)  of  our  company  had  his  horse  killed 
under  him  by  a  cannon  shot,  but  he  was  uninjured. 
The  country  between  Hamburg  Landing  and  Corinth 
was  mostly  timbered,  having  a  great  deal  of  under- 
brush. I  noticed  some  of  this  brushy  land  had  been 
farmed  at  some  time  in  years  past. 

The  whole  army  now  slowly  moved  southwest  to- 
ward Corinth,  skirmishing  along  the  way.  Our  regi- 
ment occupied  a  part  of  the  line  of  battle,  remain- 
ing in  this  position  four  days  and  nights,  standing  by 
our  horses'  heads  except  while  trying  to  sleep,  or  feed 
and  water  our  horses.  At  night  we  endeavored  to  get 
some  sleep  and  rest  in  the  following  manner:  Al- 
ternately one  man  would  hold  two  horses  by  the 
bridles  while  the  other  attempted  to  get  some  sleep 
by  lying  down  in  front  of  his  horse,  but  this  general- 
ly failed  on  account  of  occasional  firing  in  close  prox- 
imity, which  would  cause  some  of  the  horses  to  jump 
and  thereby  disturb  us.  When  we  were  relieved  at 
the  end  of  the  four  days  we  were  "  played  out,"  as 
the  illustration  shows. 

When  the  army  arrived  in  front  of  Corinth,  and  was 
preparing  to  capture  the  place,  we  were  surprised  on 
the  morning  of  May  29  to  find  that  it  had  been  va- 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 


51 


cated  during  the  night,  the  Confederates  having  gone 
southward.  Our  regiment  went  to  Booneville,  where 
it  remained  several  weeks.  Then  it  was  sent  to  Ja- 
cinto,  Miss.,  a  small  town  where  we  camped  about  a 
month,  doing  the  ordinary  military  duties.  While 


Flayed  Out. 

there  everything  seemed  to  be  quiet,  with  no  enemies 
to  disturb  us  except  millions  of  woodticks  and  swifts. 
This  tick  is  a  small  gray-colored  insect.  They  stuck 
on  our  horses  in  such  a  manner  that  we  were  obliged 
to  scrape  them  off,  or  they  would  probably  have  tor- 
mented them  nearly  to  death.  The  swift  is  a  small 


52  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

four-footed  animal  formed  like  a  lizard  and  the  color 
of  a  frog.  At  night  when  we  retired  they  would  hop 
about  us  by  the  hundred.  They  are  a  noisy  creature. 
One  night  after  we  had  about  all  fallen  asleep  a  swift 
jumped  into  one  of  our  boy's  open  shirt  bosom,  and 
scrambled  about  over  his  bare  body,  and  he  thinking 
it  was  a  snake  jumped  up,  yelling  like  a  demon,  arous- 
ing nearly  the  whole  camp. 

On  July  20,  1862,  the  7th  broke  camp  and  moved 
eastward  into  northern  Alabama,  to  a  place  by  the 
name  of  Tuscumbia,  where  we  found  one  of  the  largest 
springs  of  water  that  I  ever  saw.  It  poured  forth 
from  a  cavity  in  the  rocks  with  such  volume  that  as 
it  flowed  down  over  a  bed  of  gravel  a  stream  was 
formed  almost  knee  deep  to  the  horses,  and  twenty- 
five  or  thirty  feet  wide.  The  water  was  very  clear, 
and  so  cold  that  the  horses  sometimes  refused  to 
drink  it.  We  camped  there  a  few  days,  and  then  part 
of  the  regiment  moved  on  eastward  to  Cortland,  Ala., 
where  we  found  a  most  beautiful  camping  place,  on 
the  banks  of  a  fine  stream,  along  which  were  many 
springs  of  good  water.  The  country  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  was  quite  fertile,  and  foraging  was  good,  as 
not  many  of  the  enemy  had  passed  through  here 
previous  to  this.  Peaches  and  small  fruits  were  quite 
plentiful.  One  day  some  of  the  boys  brought  in  a 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$  53 

nice  lot  of  fine  peaches.  The  sight  of  these  put  me  in 
the  notion  of  making  some  peach  pies.  The  com- 
missary had  previously  issued  some  flour.  My  short- 
ening for  the  pie-crust  I  procured  by  frying  some  bacon. 
(The  bacon-flavored  shortening  was  substituted  for 
nutmegs  and  other  flavorings.)  I  proceeded  to  mix  the 
material  for  the  crust  which  was  a  new  experience 
for  me.  After  the  dough  was  made  I  looked  about 
for  a  rolling  pin,  with  which  to  prepare  the  crusts. 
I  found  one  of  those  long  champagne  bottles,  which 
answered  the  purpose  very  well.  I  placed  the  lower 
crust  on  one  of  our  tin  plates,  and  on  this  the  pre- 
pared peaches,  with  plenty  of  sugar,  and  then  put  the 
covering  on  and  placed  it  in  a  cast  iron  bake-oven. 
We  built  a  fire  around  it,  and  occasionally  took  the 
lid  off  to  inspect  the  process.  The  baking  was  soon 
completed,  the  pie  taken  out,  and  pronounced  well 
done.  After  eating  it  we  called  it  good,  and  I  was 
congratulated  on  my  success.  Of  course,  you  know, 
a  soldier  in  our  position  would  call  anything  good 
that  could  be  eaten.  But  some  of  the  boys  declared 
that  I  had  put  the  shortening  in  lengthwise.  I  thought 
if  I  was  spared  to  get  home  I  would  try  and  get  a 
position  in  a  first-class  hotel  as  baker. 

Nothing  of  an  exciting  nature  occurred  during  our 
stay   at   Cortland,  except   that  we   received   a   report 


54  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

one  morning  that  the  Confederates  in  small  force  were 
encamped  in  a  village  a  few  miles  away.  A  squadron 
of  our  cavalry,  in  command  of  Capt.  Bartlett,  was  im- 
mediately sent  out  in  the  direction  of  the  village,  to 
take  the  Johnnies  in  out  of  the  wet,  as  we  supposed. 
We  moved  along  cautiously  until  arriving  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  the  village,  when  we  halted  and  formed  to 
make  a  charge  into  the  town.  When  all  was  ready 
the  Captain  gave  the  command  "  Forward,  charge," 
and  away  we  flew  into  and  through  the  town  with 
drawn  sabres,  and  found  nothing  to  run  against.  Not 
a  solitary  "  Johnny "  was  to  be  seen.  It  was  like 
kicking  against  nothing.  We  were  somewhat  dis- 
appointed, but  as  I  thought  the  matter  over  I  con  • 
eluded  to  be  willing  to  be  thus  deluded. 


CHAPTER  V. 

From  Northern  Alabama  to  Nashville,  Term.,  and  Its 
Occupation  by  the  Federals. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  Aug.  28,  1862,  the  bugle 
sounded  for  boots  and  saddles.  About  fifty  or  sixty 
of  Co.  C,  including  myself,  mounted  and  prepared  to 
move,  thinking  that  we  were  going  on  a  scouting  ex- 
pedition some  distance  from  camp.  Therefore  our 
blankets  and  small  trinkets  were  left,  with  the  sup- 
position that  we  would  return  in  the  evening.  We 
moved  out,  and  after  riding  quite  a  distance,  perhaps 
eight  or  ten  miles,  we  met  Gen.  Palmer  and  staff, 
with  a  division  of  infantry  and  artillery.  He  was  on 
his  way  north,  to  Nashville,  Tenn.,  a  distance  of  over 
one  hundred  and  fifty  miles.  Co.  C  was  employed  as 
escort  for  the  General  on  the  journey,  and  we  never 
returned  to  Cortland,  losing  our  blankets  and  other 
things. 

We  were  on  the  way  a  number  of  days,  occasional- 
ly seeing  a  few  of  the  enemy  in  our  front  and  having 
a  skirmish  with  them.  During  the  fore  part  of  the 
journey  a  scene  was  witnessed  which  I  considered 


56  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$ 

very  aggravating.  A  short  distance  north  of  Pulaski, 
Tenn.,  we  passed  a  cotton  mill  by  the  roadside.  It 
was  a  two-story  frame  building,  with  quite  a  number 
of  windows  on  the  side  next  the  road,  and  from  each 
of  these  windows  there  peered  many  heads  of  women. 
As  we  were  passing  they  hissed  at  us,  and  called  out, 
"  Run  you  cowards."  "  They  will  catch  you  before 
you  get  to  Nashville,"  and  many  other  insulting 
phrases.  Gen.  Palmer  halted  in  front  of  the  factory, 
and  after  listening  to  them  a  few  minutes  he  said : 
"  Ladies,  do  you  know  that  these  soldiers  carry 
matches  in  their  pockets?  This  building  would  burn 
nicely."  They  took  the  hint  and  all  was  quiet. 

One  day  when  three  of  us  were  on  advance  guard 
we  occasionally  started  forward  on  the  gallop,  and 
left  quite  a  distance  between  us  and  the  main  force. 
When  in  the  vicinity  of  Columbia,  Tenn.,  my  horse 
had  gained  some  distance  on  the  other  two,  and  the 
road  winding  through  the  woods,  I  was  unable  to 
see  whether  the  others  were  in  supporting  distance. 
I  continued  riding  until  the  business  street  of  Co- 
lumbia was  reached,  when  I  halted  and  looked  back, 
but  could  see  neither  of  the  boys.  I  waited,  momen- 
tarily expecting  their  arrival.  At  a  little  distance  I 
saw  a  small  group  of  men  in  citizens'  dress.  I  rode 
up  near  them  and  ordered  them  to  disperse,  which 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65  57 

they  did.  Why  this  was  done  I  hardly  know,  unless 
because  I  thought  a  bold  front  would  intimidate  them, 
and  cause  them  to  believe  that  reinforcements  were 
very  near  at  hand.  I  felt  somewhat  uneasy,  as  previ- 
ous to  this  we  had  found  Confederate  soldiers  dressed 
in  citizens'  clothes,  and  therefore  had  good  reason  to 
suspect  some  of  the  group  as  such. 

I  remained  here  on  my  horse  in  suspense,  with 
carbine  in  hand,  a  minute  or  more  before  the  arrival 
of  my  two  comrades.  The  minutes  seemed  long  on 
account  of  being  in  doubt.  We  waited  here  until  the 
main  column  arrived,  then  passed  on  through  the 
town,  skirmishing  with  a  few  of  the  enemy  during 
several  days  as  we  advanced,  arriving  at  Nashville  the 
12th  of  September.  Gen.  Palmer  was  in  command  of 
the  troops  composing  his  division,  and  Gen.  Negley, 
being  senior,  was  in  command  of  the  district.  Com- 
munication with  the  North  and  other  parts  of  our 
army  was  entirely  cut  off,  and  we  were  unable  to  re- 
ceive mail  or  supplies  of  any  kind.  The  main  part 
of  the  Union  army  in  this  vicinity  had  gone  into 
Kentucky  in  pursuit  of  Bragg.  The  commissary  stores 
were  scant,  and  we  were  obliged  to  go  out  foraging 
sometimes  in  order  to  get  enough  to  eat.  While  here 
we  experienced  a  number  of  exciting  incidents  by  way 
of  skirmishing  and  small  engagements  with  the  enemy, 


58  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

who  were  continually  lurking  about  our  picket  lines. 
I  was  now  detailed  as  orderly  at  Gen.  Palmer's  head- 
quarters, in  which  position  I  served  until  Sept.  20, 
1863,  when  I  was  made  a  prisoner  of  war  at  the  bat- 
tle of  Chickamauga. 

After  being  at  Nashville  some  time  Gen.  Negley  was 
informed  that  a  force  of  Confederates,  consisting  most- 
ly of  infantry,  to  the  number  of  several  thousand, 
were  encamped  at  Lavergne,  Tenn.,  about  thirteen 
miles  from  Nashville.  The  generals  immediately  laid 
plans  for  the  capture  of  this  camp.  One  night  they 
sent  out  a  brigade  of  infantry,  which  marched  by  a 
circuitous  route  to  the  rear  of  the  Confederate  camp, 
arriving  there  a  little  before  daylight,  but  did  not  dis- 
turb the  enemy  until  we  attacked  them  in  front.  Our 
forces  who  made  that  attack  were  composed  of  Gen. 
Palmer  and  staff,  Co.  C,  and  a  small  force  of  in- 
fantry and  cavalry;  also  several  pieces  of  artillery. 

At  first  we  merely  attacked  their  pickets,  which 
drew  the  enemy's  attention  toward  us.  At  the  same 
time  the  infantry  assaulted  them  in  the  rear,  causing 
their  surrender  to  us,  with  the  exception  of  their 
cavalrymen,  who  escaped.  The  Confederates  had  one 
piece  of  artillery,  a  four-pounder,  which  was  disabled 
after  firing  a  number  of  shots.  This  fell  into  our  hands 
along  with  their  entire  camp  equipage,  including  a 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65  59 

large  quantity  of  new  uniforms  which  they  had  just 
received.  We  also  captured  a  brigadier-general.  Dur- 
ing this  engagement  I  witnessed  something  that  I 
had  never  seen  or  heard  of  before.  As  I  was  look- 
ing directly  at  the  Confederate  four-pound  cannon, 
which  was  perhaps  eighty  or  one  hundred  rods  from 
us,  it  was  discharged  and  the  instant  that  I  saw 
the  smoke  issue  from  the  mouth  of  the  gun  a  small 
black  speck  was  seen  coming  toward  me  and  in  a 
second  or  two  it  crashed  into  a  rail  fence  close  by. 
After  it  had  struck  the  fence  I  was  satisfied  that  the 
black  speck  I  had  seen  was  the  ball  from  the  cannon. 
Soon  after  this  I  heard  a  rattling  noise  to  the  left. 
I  turned  and  looked  in  that  direction  and  saw  brick 
rolling  down  over  the  roof  of  a  residence  which  was 
in  close  proximity.  Evidently  a  ball  from  the  Con- 
federate gun  came  in  contact  with  the  chimney,  caus- 
ing a  confusion  about  the  house.  While  looking  that 
way  a  man  came  out  of  the  house  and  looked  up  at 
the  chimney,  apparently  surprised  at  the  condition  of 
things.  I  concluded  that  the  people  in  the  house  were 
in  a  perilous  condition. 

While  this  small  engagement  was  in  progress  Gen. 
Palmer  was  busily  engaged  with  his  telescope,  view- 
ing the  battlefield  and  directing  the  movements  of 
troops.  He  stood  upon  a  small  strawstack  in  good 


60  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

view  of  the  enemy,  giving  directions  as  composedly 
as  if  talking  to  pupils  in  a  schoolroom.  After  the 
firing  ceased  we  rode  into  the  Confederate  camp  and 
found  that  we  had  captured  many  wagon-loads  of 
property,  which  was  loaded  and  hauled  with  us  to 
Nashville. 

The  reader  can  comprehend  to  some  extent  (by  the 
former  descriptions  of  battle  scenes)  the  hardships  and 
desolation  that  people  are  compelled  to  undergo  in 
countries  where  armies  pass  through  in  time  of  war. 
I  often  felt  grieved  for  people  in  the  South  when  their 
stock,  grain  and  fences  were  appropriated  for  the  use 
of  the  army.  Of  course  a  commander  will  not  allow 
his  soldiers  to  starve.  If  his  trains  cannot  keep  up 
with  the  troops  he  will  order  the  commissary  to  gath- 
er provisions  from  the  country  through  which  they 
are  passing  (of  course  citizens  were  not  allowed  to 
starve),  and  when  an  army  is  on  the  march  and  goes 
into  camp  in  the  evening,  the  soldiers  have  not  time 
to  chop  down  trees  for  fuel,  but  take  fences,  and  there- 
by the  country  is  more  or  less  desolated,  generally 
more.  I  can  remember  when  orders  were  given  to 
the  soldiers  allowing  them  to  take  only  the  top  rail 
off  a  fence  for  fuel,  but  each  rail  in  turn  became  a  top 
rail  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  whole  fence  would  dis- 
appear. 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65  61 

An  exciting  chase  and  skirmish. — One  afternoon 
Lieut.  Shaw  of  Co.  C  was  ordered  to  take  a  squad  of 
Co.  C,  some  ten  or  twelve  in  number,  and  go  outside 
the  picket  lines  to  see  what  he  could  discover  in  re- 
gard to  the  location  of  the  enemy.  After  riding  some 
distance  across  the  country,  Charles  Evitts,  William 
Orris  and  myself,  who  were  advance  guard,  arrived 
near  the  top  of  a  hill,  and  looking  over  its  brow  dis- 
covered three  Confederates  seemingly  on  outpost  pick- 
et duty.  We  thought  they  were  performing  their 
duty  in  a  very  careless  manner  as  they  were  dis- 
mounted. We  fired,  and  of  course  the  instant  they 
heard  the  report  of  our  guns  they  mounted  their 
horses  and  rode  away  as  fast  as  they  could,  one  of 
them  leaving  his  gun  leaning  against  the  fence.  We 
immediately  started  to  follow  them  at  full  speed.  As 
we  passed  the  picket  station  I  slowed  up  and  grabbed 
the  gun  which  the  Confederates  had  left  and  destroyed 
it  (by  throwing  it  down  upon  the  stone  road,  which 
broke  the  stock  off),  so  that  it  was  of  no  further  use 
to  the  enemy,  and  it  would  have  been  of  no  use  to 
Uncle  Sam.  Then  I  followed  on  at  a  fast  gait,  over- 
taking the  other  two  boys. 

During  the  chase  one  of  the  three  Confederates  fell 
from  his  horse  and  we  made  him  a  prisoner;  he  hav- 
ing been  shot  through  the  arm  by  our  first  fire.  We 


62  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

pushed  on  after  the  other  two  Johnnies,  who  gave  the 
alarm  to  their  reserve  force  which  numbered  prob- 
ably fifty  or  sixty,  who  were  just  cooking-  their  sup- 
pers beside  the  road  in  a  ravine.  As  soon  as  the  alarm 
was  given  of  our  approach  they  all  mounted  their 
horses  and  rode  up  the  opposite  hill  in  confusion, 
leaving  their  suppers  cooking.  Some  of  them  even 
left  their  saddles  which  they  had  removed  from  their 
horses.  The  fun  this  time  was  on  our  side.  It  was 
laughable  to  see  the  Confederates  hustling  up  the  hill 
in  such  confusion  with  us,  perhaps  less  than  one-fifth 
of  their  number,  in  pursuit.  The  roads  being  very 
dusty  at  this  time,  and  no  wind  blowing,  the  trail  of 
dust  we  left  behind  us  caused  them  to  believe  that 
there  was  a  large  force  in  pursuit,  thus  causing  their 
hasty  flight. 

In  this  little  skirmish  we  captured  one  prisoner,  a 
fine  double-barreled  shotgun,  a  horse,  some  saddles 
and  numerous  other  small  articles,  and  returned  to 
camp  after  dark  in  the  evening. 

Attacking  the  Confederates  behind  a  stone  wall. — 
Some  days  later  while  at  Nashville  we  went  out  on 
another  reconnoitering  expedition  into  the  enemy's 
country,  with  a  small  force  consisting  of  Co.  C,  Capt. 
Bartlett  in  command,  two  pieces  of  artillery  and  sev- 
eral companies  of  infantry,  with  Gen.  Palmer  in  com- 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$  63 

mand  of  the  whole.  After  marching  some  distance 
from  camp  we  discovered  a  small  force  of  the  enemy, 
which  gradually  fell  back  before  our  advance  until 
they  reached  a  farmhouse,  where  a  thick  stone  wall 
was  found,  used  as  a  fence  between  the  house  and 
barn.  The  Confederates  thought  the  wall  a  good 
stronghold,  and  took  a  position  behind  it,  not  being 
aware  that  we  had  artillery  with  us,  and  therefore 
considering  themselves  safe  behind  the  wall.  They 
opened  fire  on  us,  but  we  did  not  like  to  attack  them 
with  our  small  arms  while  in  their  fortified  position. 
Therefore  the  general  ordered  the  artillerymen  to  open 
fire  on  them.  The  first  or  second  shot  passed  through 
the  wall,  and  another  one  through  the  barn,  which 
caused  quite  a  commotion  among  them.  The  house 
also  received  a  number  of  shots  from  the  rifles.  They 
immediately  took  to  flight  and  we  went  down  to  in- 
spect the  barn  and  wall.  I  found  one  large  hardwood 
timber  in  the  barn  nearly  cut  in  two  by  a  shot  from 
our  artillery.  I  do  not  remember  of  any  one  in  our 
command  being  seriously  injured  during  this  engage- 
ment. We  returned  to  camp,  performing  our  mili- 
tary duties  as  usual.  We  experienced  a  number  of 
skirmishes  similar  to  the  above  during  our  stay  at 
Nashville. 
Nov.  7,  1862,  brought  good  news  to  us.  The  Federal 


64  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$ 

army  from  Kentucky  arrived  at  Nashville,  which 
opened  communication  once  more  with  the  North  and 
our  homes.  We  had  not  received  any  mail  for  about 
three  months  and  were  very  glad  indeed  to  receive 
letters  from  home,  some  of  which  had  been  on  the  way 
two  or  three  months.  The  army  was  now  being 
thoroughly  reorganized,  and  named  Army  of  the 
Cumberland,  with  Gen.  Rosecrans  in  command ;  and 
preparations  were  made  for  the  advance  on  Murfrees- 
boro.  We  remained  here  at  Nashville  until  Dec.  26, 
1862. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

The  Advance  on  Murfreesboro — Battle  of  Stone 

River — Occupation   of   Murfreesboro  by  the 

Federals — Cripple  Creek  and  Tullahoma 

Campaign — Advance  on  Chattanooga 

and  Chickamauga. 

The  announcement  was  made  on  Christmas  night, 
1862,  to  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  to  prepare  to 
march  the  following  morning,  with  three  days'  ra- 
tions in  the  haversacks  and  cartridge  boxes  well  filled. 
The  reveille  sounded  loudly  throughout  the  camps 
about  Nashville  early  on  the  morning  of  the  26th,  and 
all  was  alive,  with  thousands  of  busy  soldiers  preparing 
for  the  advance.  The  morning  dawned  drearily,  with 
threatening  clouds  overhanging  the  sky,  but  prepara- 
tions to  move  forward  went  briskly  on.  After  break- 
fast the  order  came  to  strike  tents  and  prepare  to  move 
soon.  Regiment  after  regiment  filed  out  on  several 
different  roads  leading  toward  Murfreesboro,  with 
fifes  and  drums  playing  inspiring  music,  which  cheered 
the  soldiers  to  a  high  degree. 

But  alas !  How  little  did  we  know  how  many  of  our 
number,  now  so  cheerful,  would  be  laid  low  within  a 


66  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

few  days  by  the  enemy's  bullets  and  that  9,700  of  our 
number  would  be  killed  or  wounded  within  eight  days 
on  the  battlefield  of  Stone  River. 

The  whole  army  was  soon  on  the  move,  and  outside 
of  the  picket  lines.  A  skirmish  line  was  pushed  for- 
ward, and  did  not  march  many  miles  before  the  skir- 
mishers of  the  enemy  were  met,  who  gradually  retired. 
We  continued  to  advance,  sometimes  meeting  quite 
a  force  of  the  enemy,  who  repeatedly  withdrew.  This 
continued  until  we  reached  the  vicinity  of  Stone  River, 
Dec.  30,  1862. 

During  the  march  of  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland 
from  Nashville  to  the  vicinity  of  Murfreesboro,  which 
continued  from  Dec.  26  to  the  30th,  rain  fell  in  tor- 
rents nearly  every  day,  which  caused  the  roads  to  be- 
come almost  impassable.  After  thousands  of  horses 
had  passed  over  the  soft  and  water-covered  roads,  the 
mud  was  fearful,  from  four  to  six  inches  in  depth  and 
in  some  places  half  knee  deep,  and  of  the  consistency 
of  cream  or  very  thick  paint  ready  for  use.  The  read- 
er can  judge  by  looking  at  the  illustration  whether 
it  was  a  pleasure  for  the  soldiers  to  tramp  all  day  on 
a  road  in  the  above-mentioned  condition,  while  the  rain 
was  pouring  down. 

The  soldiers  were  loaded  as  mentioned,  following: 
First  a  knapsack,  containing  extra  garments,  under- 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65  67 


The  Army  Marching1  Throug-h  Mnd  and  Bain. 


68  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

wear  and  blanket ;  also  any  trinkets  that  a  soldier  chose 
to  have;  second,  a  haversack,  containing  three  or  four 
days'  rations ;  third,  a  gun,  a  heavy  belt  with  cartridge 
box  containing  40  rounds,  and  last  but  not  least,  a 
canteen  full  of  water.  The  cavalry  and  artillery  fared 
but  little  or  perhaps  no  better  than  the  infantry  on 
those  muddy  roads,  as  the  tramping  of  the  horses 
caused  the  mud  to  splash  in  such  a  manner  that  both 
horses  and  riders  became  literally  plastered  with  it, 
which  gave  them  a  job  of  cleaning  up.  It  requires 
grit  and  a  good  constitution  to  march  all  day  on  a 
slushy  road  with  rain  pouring  down,  and  then  go  in- 
to camp  at  night  and  lie  down  to  sleep  on  the  muddy 
ground  with  rain-soaked  clothes.  It  also  requires  iron- 
clad patriotism,  to  keep  a  smiling  countenance  under 
these  conditions. 

The  haversack  and  canteen  were  as  essential  to  a 
soldier  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion  from  1861  to  1865 
when  on  a  long  march  as  a  tender  is  to  a  railroad  loco- 
motive. The  locomotive  when  running  would  soon 
become  powerless  if  the  tender  did  not  accompany  it 
to  supply  fuel  and  water  with  which  to  create  power 
to  enable  it  to  travel. 

That  was  also  the  fact  with  the  soldier.  If  he  did 
not  have  the  indispensable  haversack  and  canteen  well 
filled,  attached  to  himself  when  on  the  march,  he 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65  69 

could  expect  that  his  locomotive  power  would  fail  in 
a  short  time  and  he  would  become  unable  to  march. 
The  haversack  generally  contained  the  following  ar- 
ticles when  filled  for  the  march:  First,  a  quantity  of 
the  genuine,  indispensable,  hard-as-a-rock-Uncle-Sam- 
hardtack,  sometimes  animated  hardtack ;  a  slice  of 
bacon,  sometimes  animated ;  a  small  package  of 
browned  coffee,  a  small  quantity  of  sugar  tied  up  in 
paper  and  tucked  away  in  a  corner,  and  last  but  not 
least,  a  pinch  of  salt.  But  why  was  salt  needed?  The 
bacon  was  salty,  and  the  hardtack  did  not  need  salt, 
and  it  would  not  have  improved  the  coffee.  The  salt 
appears  to  be  a  mystery,  but  perhaps  it  was  not  a 
mystery  to  the  soldier.  Some  people  may  not  under- 
stand the  meaning  of  the  words,  "  animated  hardtack." 
Therefore  we  will  explain.  Animated  hardtack  was 
that  which  was  inhabited  by  the  larvae  of  flies,  a  foot- 
less insect  or  grub,  but  plainly  speaking,  a  maggot.  The 
soldiers  of  the  war  from  1861  to  1865  were  occasional- 
ly treated  to  a  few  rations  of  animated  hardtack  and 
animated  .bacon  also,  perhaps  by  mistake.  In  such 
cases  the  soldiers  were  liable  to  find  a  portion  of  their 
rations  escaping. 

The  canteen  generally  contained  water,  but  there 
were  occasions  when  it  did  not  contain  water;  per- 
haps milk,  if  a  cow  could  be  found,  and  the  finder 


70  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-6$ 

chanced  to  be  an  expert  milker,  capable  of  milking 
into  the  small  mouth  of  a  canteen.  The  haversack 
was  not  a  thing  of  beauty,  nor  was  it  ornamented, 
especially  after  it  had  been  in  use  during  a  consider- 
able length  of  time.  It  was  generally  constructed  of 
heavy  canvas,  and  of  course  after  the  greasy  bacon 
had  been  stored  in  it  and  carried  on  those  long  marches 
in  that  broiling  Dixie  sun,  and  on  dusty  roads,  it  be- 
came a  slick-appearing  object  as  the  canvas  became 
saturated  with  grease  from  the  bacon  and  then  a  coat 
of  dust  adhered  to  it,  which,  after  considerable  wear 
and  several  alternate  coats  of  grease  and  dust,  made 
it  as  polished  as  a  looking-glass.  A  story  was  circu- 
lated during  the  war  about  some  remarks  that  a  south- 
ern lady  made  when  a  number  of  our  regiments  were 
passing.  She  said,  "  There  are  the  proudest  lot  of 
Yanks  that  I  have  seen.  Every  fellow  has  a  looking- 
glass  hanging  to  him."  She  evidently  mistook  the 
glossy  haversacks  for  looking-glasses. 

Now  after  marching  all  day  loaded,  as  previously 
described,  the  soldiers  would  receive  orders  to  halt 
and  go  into  camp  by  the  roadside  in  their  order  of 
march.  The  camping  place  sometimes  was  in  a  mud- 
dy cornfield  or  cottonfield,  and  other  times  in  the 
woods.  After  each  regiment  and  company  were  as- 
signed to  a  place  to  be  occupied  during  the  night,  ar- 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$  71 

rangements  were  made  for  the  purpose  of  procuring 
fuel  and  water,  and  if  sticks  could  be  found  the  proper 
size  the  pup  tents  were  erected,  after  which  the  boys 
would  proceed  with  the  preparations  for  getting  sup- 
per, which  were  generally  not  very  elaborate,  as  the 
cooking  utensils  during  a  long  march  were  few,  con- 
sisting of  a  tin  cup,  in  which  the  coffee  was  boiled, 
and  a  small  branch  of  a  tree  fifteen  or  eighteen  inches 
in  length  and  pointed  at  each  end.  One  end  was  stuck 
in  the  ground  at  an  angle  of  about  45  degrees,  and 
a  slice  of  bacon  hung  on  the  other  end  near  enough  to 
the  fire  to  make  it  broil  and  also  make  it  palatable. 
The  coffee  was  next  in  order.  The  butt  end  of  a  gun 
was  substituted  for  a  coffee  mill  on  these  occasions. 
The  coffee  was  boiled  in  a  tin  cup,  or  a  very  small 
coffee  pot  if  the  soldier  chanced  to  have  one,  until  it 
became  strong  enough  to  float  an  iron  wedge  (as  the 
boys  termed  it).  When  supper  was  ready  they  would 
sit  on  the  ground  in  small  groups  and  gnaw  at  their 
hardtack  and  bacon.  If  the  weather  happened  to  be 
cool  they  would  sit  in  a  circle  around  a  small  camp- 
fire  and  eat  and  talk  until  they  became  sleepy  or  taps 
sounded  for  lights  out.  Then  a  sleeping  place  was 
prepared.  If  their  camping  place  was  in  a  cornfield 
a  few  cornstalks  or  other  rubbish  would  be  gathered 
and  placed  on  the  ground  for  a  bed,  and  when  about 


72  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$ 

ready  to  retire  they  would  perhaps  be  surprised  by 
the  orderly  who  called  their  names  for  extra  picket 
duty,  perhaps  to  go  on  outside  picket.  They  go  out 
to  their  post  of  duty  and  perhaps  about  the  time  that 
they  are  posted  rain  begins  falling.  A  long,  dreary 
night  is  spent  by  watching  for  the  enemy.  Morning 
dawns  and  the  rain  still  continues  falling.  The  men 
are  called  in  off  their  post  of  duty.  When  they  ar- 
rive in  camp  the  bugle  sounds  to  fall  in  ready  to  march. 
Then  another  call  forward  when  they  begin  their 
march  for  the  day  without  breakfast  or  making  their 
toilets.  But  after  marching  some  distance  hunger  be- 
gins to  gnaw,  and  a  few  hardtack  are  found  at  which 
they  begin  to  nibble  as  they  march.  Hungry,  sleepy, 
and  tired,  they  continue  to  march  all  day  on  the  mud- 
dy roads,  while  rain  is  pouring  down,  for  $13  per  month 
for  the  purpose  of  perpetuating  our  glorious  govern- 
ment. 

On  the  morning  of  Dec.  31  the  memorable  battle  of 
Stone  River,  or  Murfreesboro,  began.  At  daylight  Gen. 
Bragg,  who  was  in  command  of  the  Confederates, 
made  a  furious  attack  upon  the  right  wing  of  the 
Federal  army,  and  drove  it  back,  but  at  a  fearful  cost. 
A  temporary  panic  followed  immediately  on  our  right 
wing,  mostly  among  the  army  wagon  teams  and  run- 
away horses,  and  horses  from  which  riders  had  been 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65  73 

shot.  All  these  came  rushing  back  at  a  furious  rate. 
I  witnessed  a  portion  of  the  above  scene  and  have  no 
desire  to  see  another  like  it.  I  well  remember  seeing 
a  six-mule  team  with  army  wagon  attached  running 
at  full  speed  over  a  rail  fence,  brush,  rocks  and  logs. 
At  the  same  time  I  saw  wounded  soldiers  covered  with 
blood,  horses  perhaps  in  a  similar  condition,  all  with 
a  mad  rush  making  their  way  toward  the  rear.  The 
above  was  only  a  sample  of  other  such  scenes. 

After  the  right  was  driven  back  the  Confederates 
concentrated  their  forces  upon  our  center  and  the 
right  of  the  left,  which  were  composed  of  Palmer's 
and  several  other  commands,  who  repulsed  the  Con- 
federates with  great  loss.  Our  artillery  swung  into 
line  on  the  run,  and  poured  forth  its  deadly  missiles 
into  the  enemy's  ranks. 

Nothing  in  war  is  more  exciting  than  to  see  a  bat- 
tery go  into  action.  It  has  been  drilled  incessantly 
for  months,  perhaps  years,  for  just  such  a  crisis — for 
the  moment  when  it  can  gallop  directly  into  the  very 
hell  of  the  battle  and  throw  all  of  its  terrific  power  in- 
to a  few  minutes  of  awful  work  in  deciding  the  con- 
test. Day  in  and  day  out  men  and  horses  have  been 
unweariedly  drilled  for  a  few  moments  of  intense  ac- 
tion at  a  critical  time.  Time  and  fatigue  have  been 
disregarded,  to  train  them  thoroughly  as  parts  of  a 


74 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65  75 

great  machine  of  destruction.  They  have  become  such 
integral  parts  that  they  go  through  their  duties  auto- 
matically, as  if  they  were  second  nature. 

Nothing  deranges  the  perfect  operation  of  the  ter- 
rific machine.  They  will  dash  into  the  midst  of  the 
fight,  where  the  shells  are  spreading  wild  havoc  and 
the  deadly  rifle  balls  patter  like  rain,  without  a 
thought  of  their  surroundings,  and  open  their  vol- 
cano on  the  enemy  without  making  a  blunder  or  miss- 
ing a  motion.  A  man  is  torn  to  fragments  by  a  shell 
and  another  instantly  steps  into  his  place;  a  horse  is 
shot  down,  he  is  immediately  cut  out  and  another 
hitched  in  his  place.  The  guns  bellow  uninterrupted- 
ly, no  matter  what  havoc  the  enemy's  missiles  are 
creating  around  them.  It  is  the  grandest  yet  most 
awful  spectacle  that  war  affords. 

The  Confederates  made  three  or  four  desperate  at- 
temps  to  break  this  portion  of  our  line,  but  failed  and 
were  repulsed  each  time,  and  remained  nearly  all  the 
balance  of  the  day  under  cover.  During  the  day  the 
shattered  divisions  of  the  Union  army  from  the  right 
were  reorganized  and  were  soon  ready  for  action.  The 
day  was  now  far  spent  and  the  firing  about  at  an 
end.  The  troops  were  mostly  concealed  in  the  woods 
or  behind  knolls,  so  as  to  be  out  of  reach  of  the  enemy's 
fire.  Shortly  before  the  sun  disappeared  in  the  west 


76  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$ 

I  rode  out  into  a  small  open  space  where  my  curi- 
osity led  me.  Near  by  was  a  long  line  of  infantry 
lying  behind  the  crest  of  a  knoll  flat  on  the  ground. 
When  I  was  within  a  couple  of  rods  of  them  two  of 
the  men  looked  around  at  me  and  one  of  them  said, 
"  You  better  get  away  from  there."  He  had  hardly 
spoken  the  words  when  several  bullets  from  Confed- 
erate sharpshooters,  who  were  concealed  in  a  cedar 
thicket,  whizzed  uncomfortably  close  to  my  ears,  and 
I  took  the  hint,  and  in  a  very  short  space  of  time  I  was 
out  of  sight  in  the  woods,  where  a  portion  of  our 
troops  were  posted. 

The  day's  battle  was  now  ended  and  everything 
seemed  to  be  quiet  along  the  lines.  Darkness  soon 
settled  down  over  the  battlefield  and  we  proceeded  to 
get  something  to  eat.  This  was  New  Year's  eve,  and 
the  army  held  watch-night,  but  not  in  the  same  style 
that  we  do  at  home.  A  good  portion  of  the  soldiers 
slept  upon  their  arms.  I  distinctly  remember  that 
night,  the  moon  shone  brightly  the  fore  part  of  the 
night  and  all  was  quiet  in  our  front.  All  that  could 
be  heard  was  the  rumbling  of  the  ambulance  wheels 
rolling  over  the  battlefield,  hauling  the  wounded  to 
the  hospital. 

The  morning  of  Jan.  1,  1863,  dawned  drearily  upon 
us,  but  before  noon  it  cleared  off  and  the  sun  shone 


IN  BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,  '6l-'6$ 


78  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$ 

and  Nature  smiled  lovingly  upon  the  field  of  the  pre- 
vious day's  carnage.  The  day  passed  without  a  gen- 
eral engagement,  but  the  lines  of  the  army  were  being 
reformed  and  preparations  were  made  for  another  bat- 
tle the  following  day. 

The  illustration  is  full  of  the  spirit  of  war.  It  rep- 
resents the  lull  which  comes  after  one  attack  has  been 
repulsed  before  another  is  made.  The  men  behind  the 
rude,  hastily-constructed  but  quite  formidable  de- 
fenses, are  having  a  brief  respite.  They  know  that  it 
is  only  a  respite,  but  are  making  the  most  of  it.  They 
will  get  what  comfort  they  can  in  the  meanwhile.  It 
is  probable  they  will  be  attacked  again  soon,  but  while 
they  are  ready  and  willing  to  meet  it  they  are  borrow- 
ing no  trouble  about  it.  They  feel  that  they  can  re- 
pulse it  as  certainly  and  easily  as  they  did  the  other. 
If  the  hour  has  any  comfort  in  it  they  are  going  to 
enjoy  it.  The  squad  of  prisoners  in  the  foreground 
is  very  eloquent.  It  shows  how  the  Confederate  con- 
scription was  forcing  into  the  ranks  "all  classes  and 
conditions  of  men." 

The  capture  of  prisoners  had  become  so  common  a 
thing  that  the  squad  hardly  excites  a  ripple  of  interest 
among  the  men.  They  hardly  look  up  from  their  cook- 
ing or  their  game  to  observe  the  new  captures,  who 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65  79 

simply  go  to  swell  the  tens  of  thousands  already  in 
our  hands. 

Jan.  2  opened  with  some  firing  along  the  line,  and 
late  in  the  afternoon  became  a  general  engagement  on 
our  left,  which  resulted  in  a  complete  defeat  of  the 
Confederates.  About  the  time  that  this  battle  of  Jan. 
2  fairly  began,  Lieut.  John  H.  Shaw,  of  Co.  C,  7th 
Illinois  Cavalry  climbed  a  tall  forest  tree  for  the  pur- 
pose of  locating  the  enemy  and  directing  the  firing  of 
our  artillery,  which  he  did  with  good  success.  And 
while  he  was  up  in  the  tree,  sitting  upon  a  limb  four  or 
five  inches  in  diameter,  viewing  the  enemy  with  a  large 
telescope,  a  cannon  shot  cut  the  limb  off  about  7  or 
8  feet  from  where  he  was  sitting.  The  Lieutenant  told 
me  that  it  was  quite  a  nervous  shock  to  him,  and  he 
scrambled  down  from  that  tree  faster  than  he  went 
up. 

During  this  engagement  Gen.  Palmer  sent  me  on 
an  errand,  and  on  the  way  I  was  obliged  to  pass 
through  a  line  of  our  artillery  posted  on  the  west  bluff 
of  Stone  River.  On  my  return  trip,  when  riding 
through  the  line  and  within  ten  or  fifteen  feet  of  one 
of  the  guns,  I  saw  the  axle  cut  from  under  it  by  a 
shot  from  the  enemy.  The  beautiful  brass  gun  tumbled 
to  the  ground.  The  battle  was  raging  fiercely,  causing 
havoc  all  about.  Shells  were  exploding  and  shrieking 


80  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$ 

through  the  air.  Solid  shot  was  plowing  the  earth 
and  throwing  the  ground  in  showers  around  us.  it 
seemed  as  if  the  whole  Southern  Confederacy  had 
broken  loose  upon  that  spot.  Rifle  and  musket  balls 
were  doing  their  share  of  execution  also.  After  pass- 
ing the  line  of  guns  I  found  myself  among  the  artillery- 
men and  horses,  where  an  alarming  confusion  was 
found,  caused  by  the  fearful  execution  of  the  enemy's 
fire,  which  appeared  to  be  concentrated  right  on  that 
place.  When  near  one  of  the  artillerymen,  on  his 
horse,  I  saw  the  upper  part  of  his  head  disappear.  A 
cannon  shot  did  the  work,  and  he  fell  from  his  horse 
a  corpse.  By  what  I  have  just  mentioned  the  reader 
can  judge  in  regard  to  the  condition  of  things  during  a 
battle,  as  this  was  only  a  sample  of  many  similar 
scenes. 

After  extricating  myself  from  the  confused  mass  I 
made  my  way  back  to  headquarters  and  reported  to 
Gen.  Palmer,  and  considered  myself  extremely  fortu- 
nate in  running  the  gauntlet  of  the  enemy's  fire  with- 
out injury  to  myself  or  horse. 

Soon  after  making  my  report  to  the  General  the  fa- 
mous charge  took  place  across  Stone  River  by  Gen. 
Negley's  division  and  other  troops.  Negley's  division 
formed  the  principal  part  of  the  charge.  The  men  waded 
through  water  several  feet  deep,  some  of  them  waist 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 


81 


82  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$ 

deep.  A  few  were  shot  while  wading  and  fell  into  the 
water.  The  battle  raged  fiercely  for  a  short  time  and 
the  Confederates  were  repulsed  with  great  loss.  Gen. 
Rosecrans  then  ordered  an  advance  and  our  soldiers 
obeyed  with  a  cheer.  We  soon  heard  continuous  cheer- 
ing, and  the  Confederates  were  routed  and  on  the  run. 
Gen.  Palmer  was  so  elated  over  our  success  that  he 
fairly  stood  up  in  the  stirrups  of  his  saddle  and  said, 
"  The  boys  have  got  them  on  the  run,  the  boys  have 
got  them  on  the  run,"  and  swung  his  hat  above  his 
head.  "  Pap  Palmer,"  as  he  was  called  by  some  of 
the  men,  was  loved  by  his  soldiers,  and  as  a  conse- 
quence Palmer's  division  nearly  always  held  its  line 
of  battle,  and  did  not  know  defeat. 

The  day  was  drawing  to  a  close,  and  the  Con- 
federates were  falling  back,  leaving  the  battlefield  in 
our  possession.  Thus  ended  the  battle  of  Stone  River. 
Just  as  it  was  getting  dusk  the  General  and  I  rode 
down  across  a  portion  of  the  field  which  had  been 
occupied  by  the  Confederates  during  the  heavy  firing 
from  our  artillery  and  musketry  combined,  and  where 
Breckenridge's  corps  lost  1,800  men  in  less  than  a  half 
hour.  We  found  the  ground  strewn  with  their  dead 
so  thickly  that  our  horses  could  hardly  pass  through. 
It  was  a  fearful  sight  to  behold.  The  battle  of  Stone 
River  proved  to  be  a  very  hard-fought  battle.  The 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$  83 

Federal  loss  was  about  9,700  killed  and  wounded,  and 
the  Confederate  about  10,000.  The  Federal  army  soon 
afterward  occupied  Murfreesboro,  going  into  camp 
south  and  east  of  the  town.  The  Confederacy  had 
received  another  blow,  but  at  a  fearful  loss  of  life. 
The  Federal  army  was  now  being  replenished  with 
ammunition  and  other  supplies,  and  remained  in  this 
vicinity  during  the  winter  months  performing  the 
ordinary  military  duties.  Gen.  Hazen's  brigade  of 
Palmer's  division  was  camped  9  miles  east  of  Murfrees- 
boro on  a  high  knob,  where  a  signal  station  was 
located,  and  we  received  messages  by  signals  from  this 
station. 

In  the  spring  of  1863  Gen.  Palmer  moved  his 
headquarters  and  a  part  of  his  division  five  or  six 
miles  east  of  Murfreesboro  to  Cripple  Creek,  where  we 
remained  until  the  latter  part  of  June. 

The  Execution  of  a  Spy  and  Bounty- jumper. 

While  camping  at  Cripple  Creek  we  witnessed  the 
execution  of  a  spy  and  bounty-jumper. 

The  troops  were  drawn  up  in  line  on  three  sides  of 
an  open  field  in  military  order  and  facing  inward.  The 
criminal  was  escorted  around  on  the  inside  of  the 
square  passing  in  front  of  the  troops,  and  his  coffin 
was  carried  in  advance. 


84  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

When  the  prisoner  reached  the  open  side  of  the 
square  or  field  he  was  halted  and  placed  near  his 
coffin  in  a  standing  posture,  blind-folded  and  shot  to 
death.  The  executing  party  was  composed  of  eight 
or  ten  soldiers  (the  exact  number  I  have  forgotten). 
Their  guns  were  loaded  by  outside  parties  in  order 
that  the  executioners  could  not  know  which  of  them 
fired  the  fatal  shots,  as  one-half  of  the  guns  were 
loaded  with  powder  only. 

On  June  24  we  again  took  up  the  line  of  march  in 
pursuit  of  the  enemy.  It  was  then  reported  that  Gen. 
Bragg,  in  command  of  the  Confederate  army,  would 
offer  battle  at  Tullahoma,  Tenn.,  but  he  failed  to  do  so, 
retreating  in  the  direction  of  Chattanooga,  south  of 
the  Tennesee  River.  On  these  marches  we  experienced 
much  rainy  weather,  during  which  I  had  some  ex- 
perience of  sleeping  on  a  rail  during  a  very  rainy  night. 
Three  or  four  rails  were  used  under  me  with  some 
rubbish  on  top  of  them.  My  saddle  for  a  pillow,  rub- 
ber blanket  for  a  cover,  and  hat  over  my  face.  This 
rail  bed  kept  my  body  out  of  the  water. 

Part  of  our  army,  including  Gen.  Palmer's  command, 
moved  southward,  and  when  it  was  found  that  the 
Confederates  were  crossing  the  Tennesse  River  Palm- 
er's division  went  into  camp  at  Manchester,  Tenn., 
where  it  remained  about  a  month.  At  the  battle  of 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65  85 


Sleeping1   on   a   Rail. 

Stone  River,  as  the  regiments  of  our  division  were 
about  to  be  attacked  by  the  enemy,  Gen.  Palmer  rode 
along  the  line  to  speak  words  of  encouragement  to 
the  men,  and  when  he  came  to  the  6th  Kentucky  he 
said :  "  Sixth  Kentucky,  you  have  work  to  do,  stand 
up  to  them  and  you  may  steal  for  six  months."  This 
last  sentence  was  spoken  in  a  sort  of  joking  manner. 
But  some  of  the  boys  had  not  forgotten  it  nearly  six 
months  later.  When  on  the  march  from  Cripple  Creek 


86  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6 1 -'65 

toward  Tullahoma,  and  rations  were  scarce,  one  even- 
ing before  they  went  into  camp  many  of  the  men 
dropped  out  of  ranks  for  the  purpose  of  foraging,  which 
was  contrary  to  orders.  Soon  after  camp  guard  was 
established  the  General  gave  orders  ta  the  captain  of 
the  guards  to  arrest  all  foragers  as  fast  as  they  came  in 
and  escort  them  to  his  headquarters.  They  soon  be- 
gan to  arrive,  some  loaded  with  fresh  beef,  others  with 
dressed  hog,  calf,  and  other  articles  of  food.  As  fast 
as  they  arrived,  the  General  ordered  them  to  lay  their 
meat  on  a  pile  near  his  tent,  and  afterward  ordered  it 
to  be  divided  by  the  commissary.  Among  these  for- 
agers was  a  very  small  man,  a  German,  belonging  to 
the  6th  Kentucky,  who  was  brought  in  sweating, 
loaded  down  with  the  half  of  a  hog.  At  the  General's 
orders  he  threw  his  load  down  on  the  pile,  and  the 
General  said  to  him :  "  Who  gave  you  leave  to  break 
ranks  and  go  out  and  steal?"  "You  did,"  he  said. 
The  General  replied :  "  You  lying  rascal,  I  never 
authorized  you  to  steal."  The  man  again  said,  "  You 
did."  A  crowd  of  the  boys  were  standing  around  en- 
joying the  scene.  The  General  then  said  :  "  When  did 
I  authorize  you  to  steal?  "  He  replied:  "At  the  battle 
of  Stone  River  you  ride  up  and  you  say,  '  Stand  up  to 
them,  6th  Kentucky,  and  you  may  steal  for  six  months/ 
and  the  time  is  not  up,  we  have  one  more  day."  The 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65  87 

General  then  remembered  the  occasion  and  the  crowd 
roared  with  laughter.  The  next  man  interviewed  by 
the  General  belonged  to  the  41st  Ohio.  He  had  the 
half  of  a  calf  he  had  found  and  killed.  The  General  told 
him  to  throw  his  meat  down  on  the  heap,  and  he  did 
so.  He  stood  very  respectfully  for  a  few  minutes  and 
then  said :  "  General,  aren't  you  going  to  let  me  have 
my  meat?"  He  replied:  "No,  you  break  ranks  and 
go  out  and  rob  the  people  and  expect  to  have  the  re- 
sult of  your  robbery?"  Soon  the  tears  ran  down  the 
man's  cheeks.  The  General  said  to  him :  "  You  great 
overgrown  booby,  are  you  crying  about  a  thing  of  this 
kind?"  The  man  replied:  "  General,  I  have  had  noth- 
ing to  eat  since  yesterday  morning."  His  orderly  ser- 
geant was  sent  for  \,ho  confirmed  the  statement.  Gen. 
Palmer  gave  him  his  veal  and  some  salt,  and  then 
said :  "  My  authority  has  been  subverted,  I  have  been 
laughed  out  of  the  hog  and  cried  out  of  the  calf." 

In  the  fore  part  of  August  Gen.  Palmer  with  his 
division  moved  eastward  and  crossed  the  Cumber- 
land Mountains  into  Sequatchie  valley,  where  we 
spent  a  number  of  days  in  slowly  moving  down  the 
valley  toward  Chattanooga,  striking  the  Tennessee 
River  west  of  the  city,  where  we  arrived  about  Sept.  1. 
On  these  marches  I  often  slept  in  my  pup  tent,  or  with- 
out any  shelter. 


IN  BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,  '6l-'65 


Pup  Tents. 

A  few  of  us  crossed  the  river  in  a  canoe,  leading  our 
horses,  who  swam  along  beside  us,  there  being  no 
bridge  or  ferry  at  this  place.  I  do  not  remember  at 
what  places  the  army  crossed,  but  they  probably 
crossed  somewhere  on  a  pontoon  bridge,  or  ferry,  con- 
structed by  themselves.  I  think  they  found  a  cross- 
ing at  a  place  called  Shellmound.  We  had  not  been 
on  the  south  side  of  the  river  very  long  before  we  saw 
the  brigades  of  Gen.  Palmer's  division  also  on  that 
side. 

We  were  now  in  the  vicinity  of  Lookout  Mountain, 
where  a  portion  of  us  camped  and  remained  a  day  or 
two.  A  part  of  the  army  went  up  on  top  of  the  moun- 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65  89 

tain,  the  summit  of  which  is  1,700  feet  above  the 
Tennessee  River.  It  appeared  to  me  almost  perpen- 
dicular at  the  end  next  the  river,  there  being  just 
room  enough  between  the  mountain  and  the  river  for 
the  railroad  and  wagon  road.  When  Palmer's  division 
began  ascending  the  mountain,  Lieut.  Shaw  and  my- 
self were  sent  on  an  errand  by  the  General,  going  by 
a  circuitous  route,  and  were  obliged  to  climb  the  north 
side  of  the  mountain,  following  a  footpath.  We  dis- 
mounted and  led  our  horses,  having  hard  work  to  get 
the  animals  up.  After  accomplishing  this  difficult  feat 
of  climbing  the  steep  mountain-side  we  found  the  Gen- 
eral and  his  troops  already  there.  We  marched  east- 
ward to  the  end  of  the  mountain,  where  I  walked  out 
on  a  projecting  rock. 

A  small  town  named  Summertown,  or  Summerville, 
was  here  entered,  and  the  road  extended  down  the 
mountain  on  the  south  side,  on  which  the  troops  de- 
scended. We  were  then  within  three  miles  of  Chatta- 
nooga, and  again  moved  forward  in  a  southerly  direc- 
tion, or  rather  a  southeasterly  direction,  leaving  the 
town  to  our  left,  and  went  into  camp  a  short  distance 
from  Rossville,  Sept.  9,  and  the  following  day  moved 
forward  as  usual  in  a  southeasterly  direction.  We 
found  that  the  city  had  been  evacuated  by  the  Con- 
federates. On  our  way  between  Chattanooga  and 


90  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 


A  Projecting  Rock  on  Lookout  Mountain. 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65  91 

Ringgold,  Ga.,  we  found  a  patch  of  the  finest  sweet 
potatoes  I  ever  saw.  Whenever  I  hear  the  song, 
"  Marching  through  Georgia,"  containing  the  lines, 

"  How   the   turkeys   gobbled,    which   our   commissary   found, 
How  the  sweet  potatoes  even  started  from  the  ground," 

I  am  reminded  of  that  sweet  potato  patch  away  down 
in  Georgia. 

We  were  getting  in  the  vicinity  of  the  enemy  again, 
and  now  moved  forward  in  a  southerly  direction  but 
without  encountering  the  enemy  in  large  force  until 
after  passing  Ringgold,  Ga.  I  distinctly  remember 
camping  there  one  night,  only  a  few  days  prior  to  the 
battle  of  Chickamauga.  While  there  some  of  the  Co. 
C  boys  got  into  a  drug  store,  which  seemingly  had 
been  abandoned,  where  they  procured  something  to 
drink  that  was  stronger  than  water;  so  much  so  that 
several  of  them  became  intoxicated.  They  were  quite 
hilarious,  and  one  of  them  became  almost  sick  in  con- 
sequence, and  another,  who  also  had  unwisely  im- 
bibed, procured  a  bottle  of  medicine  from  the  store 

with  which  he  tried  to  treat  the  man,  whom  he  claimed 
« 

as  his  patient,  and  who  was  lying  down.  He  opened 
the  bottle  and  tried  to  pour  some  of  its  contents  into 
the  mouth  of  his  patient,  who  refused  to  swallow,  and 
soon  his  face  was  besmeared  with  the  stuff,  which 
was  as  black  as  tar.  His  face  presented  a  ridiculous 


92  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$ 

spectacle.  The  division  surgeon  was  sent  for,  and  was 
told  to  hurry  up  as  we  had  a  very  sick  man  in  our 
camp.  He  soon  arrived,  and  found  the  man  lying  on 
a  blanket  with  his  eyes  closed,  his  face  being  rather 
pale  excepting  where  it  was  besmeared  with  the  black 
tarry  medicine,  and  presenting  a  comical  appearance. 
The  doctor  made  a  brief  examination  of  the  patient, 
stepped  back  and  smiled,  saying  to  the  boys,  "The 
man  will  be  all  right  in  the  morning,"  and  rode  away. 
The  following  day  we  went  in  the  direction  of  Lee 
and  Gordon's  Mills,  Crawfish  Springs,  and  the  upper 
Chickamauga.  We  remained  in  this  vicinity  a  few 
days,  watching  and  skirmishing  with  the  enemy,  then 
retraced  our  steps,  going  slowly  in  the  direction  of 
Chattanooga.  Some  firing  continued  with  the  enemy, 
which  was  Sept.  17  and  18.  By  that  time  Rosecrans' 
army  was  concentrated  on  the  north  bank  of  Chicka- 
mauga Creek  and  the  skirmishing  became  more  gen- 
eral. 


CHAPTER  VII. 
Beginning  of  the  Battle  of  Chickamauga. 

Major  General  Rosecrans  commanded  the  Army  of 
the  Cumberland  at  the  battle  of  Stone  River  and  al- 
so at  Chickamauga.  What  I  saw  of  Gen.  Rosecrans, 
and  also  what  I  learned  about  him  otherwise,  con- 
vinced me  that  he  was  brave  in  battle,  and  capable  in 
command  of  a  small  army,  and  patriotic.  But  he 
possessed  a  passionate  gallantry,  which  we  saw  dis- 
played on  battlefields  by  a  few  of  our  generals.  A 
commander  possessing  these  qualities  will  generally 
become  easily  discouraged,  and  relinquish  a  contested 
battlefield  with  but  slight  occasion  for  doing  so. 

Brig.  Gen.  Hazen  commanded  a  brigade  in  Palmer's 
division.  I  delivered  messages  at  his  headquarters 
often,  during  a  period  of  more  than  a  year,  and  had 
an  opportunity  to  learn  his  character  to  some  extent. 
I  considered  him  to  be  a  fine  soldier  and  a  gentleman. 
He  was  always  at  his  post  of  duty,  and  enforced  dis- 
cipline with  his  soldiers,  and  was  always  ready  to  see 
that  they  were  properly  supplied  with  rations,  cloth- 
ing, and  everything  they  were  entitled  to. 

Col.  William  Grose  commanded  a  brigade  in  Gen. 


94  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 


HAZEMS   BRIGADE. 

PALMERS  DIVISION    -CHITTENOENS  CORPS. 
BRIG.  GEN.  WILLIAM   B.  HAZEN. 

|'".T   POSITION 

9TH  INDIANA COL    ISAAC   C.  B   SUMAN 

STH  KENTUCKY- -COL.  GEORGE  T.  SHACKLEFORO 

LIEUT.  COL  RICHARD  ROCKINGHAM 
MAJ   RICHARD  T  WHITAKER 

41ST  UHID COL  AQUILA  WILEY 

I24TH  OHia  _  COL  OLIVER  H  PAYNE  MAJ.  JAMES  B HAMPSON 
BATTERY  F.  1ST  OHIO. LIEUT   GILES  J.  COCKERILL. 

(SEPT   19,  1863.  12    30   H  M) 

rnr  BBIGAOE  WENT  IN  o  ACTION  ON  THIS  GHOUND.BEING  THC  LEFT  or  PALMER'S 
LTiviMON.  WITH  CRUFT'S  BRIGADE  ON  ITS  RIGHT.  THF  LINE  ADVANCE  a  m  ECHELON  OF 
aair.Aots  HAZEN'S  BEADING.  IT  ENCOUNTERED  TROOPS  OF  CHEAT* AM s  DIVISION  AND 

fOUGHT  ITS  WAV  STEADILY  FORWARD  TO  THE   MIDDLE  OF  THE  BROCK   FIELD 

THERE  IT  WAS  RELIEVED  ABOUT  3  O'CLOCK  evTuRCHm's  BRIGADE  AND  WITHDREW 

TO  THE  VICINITY  OF  THE  POE  MOUSE  FOR  AMMUNITION. 

FROM  THE  LATTER  POINT  A  PORTION  OF  THE  BRIGADE   WAS  SENT  TO  THE   AS- 
SISTANCE OF  VAN  CLFVE'S  DIVISION  NFAH  THE  BKOTHEHTON  Housr.Am  THF  REMAINING 

HUHTION  WAS  RALLIED  TO  THC  SUPPORT   OF   THE   GUNS    FORMED    CMAGllNALLY    ACROSS 

Tur  LaFivf  TTF  no/>o  «T  rur  NORTH  LINE  or  TMF  l'nt  . 


Hazen's  Brigade. 


'o  GROSES     BRlGAQt 

PALMERS    DIVISION-    CRITTILNGEN  S    CORPS 
001. .  WILLIAM  UROSe 

..I  -1ST  Pul,,-., 

84TMILLINOIS-COL   LOUIS  H  WtfTFRS 

36rn  INDIANA- MAJ  Giu'j£«;'  THUSLE.R 
aao  KENTUCKY- LIEUT,  c  -.i.  JAME=I  c  rot 

fc^nOHIO-MAJ.  SAMUE1    C  Eft"  ,N 
24T«OHIO-COL.DAV.O  J   M.Q^.iMJ 
THU  S.AR7ULERY.   BATTERY  H    LIEUT,  HARHt    C  CUSMIHG 

'HU.s.AHTn.t.Efir  BATTERY  M  LIEUT  FRANCIS  L  o  RUSSS 


Grose's  Brigade. 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$ 


95 


Palmer's  division.  I  delivered  messages  to  Col.  Grose 
as  often  as  I  did  to  Gen.  Hazen,  and  had  as  much  op- 
portunity of  studying  his  character.  I  considered  him 
to  be  a  gentleman,  and  a  good  and  patriotic  soldier. 
He  did  not  enforce  discipline  as  readily  as  Gen.  Hazen, 
but  held  his  command  fairly  well  in  hand. 


No.9.  CRUFTS  BRIGADE.  u 

PALMER'S    DIVISION-   CRITTENOEN'S     CORPS. 

BRIG    GEN     CHARLES   CRUFT 

SEPT    20.   1863  -  IMPOSITION. 

3isr  INDIANA— COL  JOHN  T.  SMITH 
I<-T  KENTUCKY-  LIEUT  COL  ALVA  R  HADLOCK 
2c  KENTUCK  r—  COL  THOMAS    D  SEDGEWICK 

9OTHOHIO— COL  CHARLES   H   PUPPET. 
ISTOHIO  LIGHT.  BATTERY  B  LIEUT  NORMAN  A  BALDWIN. 

•4E  BRIGADE  AS  THE  :cr  r  or  PALMER'S  DIVIS-ON  WAS  FORKED  ON  THIS  GROUND  DURING  im 

MCNTOF  S^PT.  J9r»t.  WITH  THE  BATTERY  ON  THE  MGHT  OF  THE  FIRST  LINE.  THE  31n  IMOIANA  OH  ITS 
LEFT  TNE  2o  KENTUCKY  BEINS  THE  LEFT  Or  T«E  FRONT  LINE  THE  SECOND  LINE  WHICH  RtutVED 
THCRCCIMENTS  IN  FRONT  ABOUT  II  A.M.. CONSISTED  OF  THE  9On.O«IO  ANOTME  ItiKtNTUCKY. 

T*E  BRIGADE  WAS  SO  STRONGLY  PROTECTED  BY  LOG  WORKS  THAT  NOT  AN  ENLIS1EO  MAN  WAS 
KILLED  AND  BUT  FEW  WOUNDED  WHILE  OCCUPYING  THEM.        TiE  ATTACKS  MADE  BY  1HE  ENEMY  UP 

on  ITS  RIGHT  w/.s  SENT  TO  SNOOCRASS  HILL.  AND  THE  SECOND  LINE  or  CRUFT'S  BRJCADC  TOOK  ITS 

PLACF.    AT   5.12P.M.  IT    WAS  ORDERED  TO  WITHDRAW  ACROSS    THE  KELLY   FIILO. 

THE  BRIGADE  MOVED  IN  COLUMN  or  REGIMENTS  AT  LONG  INTERVALS.  ENCOUNTERING  AVCHV 

SCVERC  ARTILLERY  FlRE  F«OM  BOTH  FLANKS.  BUT  CUFFEI  INC  LITTLE  LOSS.  UPOM  CROSSmC,  THE 
'.4F«YtrTE  ROAD  THE  BRIGADE  PROCEEDED  TO  RorSVILLE.  STHEN1.TH  IN  ACTION  StPT.  19fM. 
_'!OB  OFFICERS  AND  MEN.  CASUALTIES'  KILLE9  24;  WOUNDED  213.  CAPTUPEO  OF.  'AlSSltlG  S3 

TOTAL  290.    PERCENTAGE  CF  LOSS.  20. -fl. 


Croft's  Brigade. 


Brig.  Gen.  Cruft  also  commanded  a  brigade  in  Pal- 
mer's division,  and  I  delivered  messages  to  him  the 
same  as  I  did  to  Gen.  Hazen  and  Col.  Grose,  and 
learned  his  character  about  as  well  as  I  did  theirs.  I 
formed  a  good  opinion  of  Gen.  Cruft.  He  appeared 


96  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

to  me  as  very  kindly,  and  pleasant  to  his  companions. 
He  apparently  knew  his  duty  and  did  it. 

Sept.  19,  1863,  dawned  with  the  enemy  in  close  prox- 
imity, and  apparently  moving  toward  our  left,  threat- 
ening- to  cut  our  communications  with  Chattanooga. 
During  the  day  heavy  fighting  occurred  along  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  line.  Of  course  we  also  moved 
toward  our  left  which  was  in  danger  of  being  flanked 
by  the  enemy.  By  the  evening  of  the  19th  the  battle 
was  well  under  way,  and  during  the  night  many 
changes  were  made  in  our  lines.  Gen.  Palmer's  di- 
vision took  position  in  the  woods,  on  a  long,  low  ridge 
extending  north  and  south,  and  a  short  distance  east 
from  the  famous  Kelly  field  (perhaps  twelve  or  fifteen 
rods),  which  also  extended  north  and  south. 

Accompanying  is  a  photograph  taken  in  1907,  faintly 
showing  the  position  occupied  by  Gen.  Palmer's  di- 
vision at  Chickamauga  on  Sept.  20,  1863,  with  Rey- 
nolds' division  on  his  right,  and  Baird's  and  Johnson's 
on  his  left.  The  line  is  marked  by  monuments,  show- 
ing the  place  occupied  by  each  regiment.  But  the 
monuments  do  not  appear  distinctly  in  this  photo- 
graph, on  account  of  its  having  been  greatly  reduced 
in  size.  The  above  battle  line  extends  parallel  with 
the  east  line  of  the  Kelly  field  and  faces  to  the  east. 
Near  the  southeast  corner  of  the  field  can  be  seen  a 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65  97 


Photograph   of   Kelly   Pield — East   Side. 


98  IN  BATTLE,  CAMP  AND  PRISONS,  '6l-'65 

pyramid  of  cannon  balls,  which  marks  the  spot  where 
Col.  E.  A.  King,  commanding  a  brigade  in  Reynolds' 
division,  was  killed,  Sept.  20. 

I  closely  inspected  this  part  of  the  battlefield  in 
September,  1906,  and  found  its  location  almost  exactly 
as  I  remembered  it  from  1863. 

During  the  night  of  Sept.  19,  1863,  a  line  of  tem- 
porary defenses  was  constructed  with  old  logs,  trees 
and  stones,  or  anything  that  would  answer  the  pur- 
pose. These  breastworks  were  from  two  to  three  feet 
in  height,  making  very  good  protection  for  the  in- 
fantry while  they  were  lying  down. 

During  the  morning,  when  the  battle  was  momen- 
tarily expected  to  open,  Gen.  Palmer  was  standing  in 
rear  of  the  temporary  defenses,  inspecting  them,  and 
the  infantry  were  lying  on  the  ground  behind  them 
awaiting  the  attack,  when  some  of  them  were  peering 
over  the  top  of  a  log  which  composed  the  upper  portion 
of  the  defenses  looking  in  the  direction  of  the  enemy, 
trying  to  discover  their  position.  Everything  was  as 
still  as  death,  when  an  enemy's  bullet  struck  the  log, 
knocking  off  a  large  spinter  and  sending  it  whizzing 
through  the  air.  The  General,  seeing  what  happened, 
cried  out,  "  Down  with  your  head,  my  man,  you  have 
got  only  one  head  and  you  may  want  to  use  that  in  a 
minute."  In  an  instant  several  more  bullets  came  over, 


IN  BATTLE,  CAMP  AND  PRISONS,  *6l-'65  99 

passing-  through  the  folds  of  the  General's  pants.  One 
of  the  boys  seeing  what  took  place  looked  at  the  Gen- 
eral and  said :  "  General,  down  with  your  legs,  you 
have  only  one  pair  of  them  and  you  may  want  to  use 
them  in  a  minute."  In  an  instant  all  was  confusion, 
and  the  bullets  were  coming  over  almost  as  thick  as 
hail,  and  I  think  there  was  use  for  heads  and  legs. 

During  the  evening  of  the  19th,  as  the  members  of 
Co.  C  were  sitting  around  a  small  fire,  Lieut.  Shaw 
made  the  remark :  "  Boys,  tomorrow  will  be  the 
hardest  fought  battle  that  we  have  seen  " ;  which  sub- 
sequently proved  to  be  true.  One  of  the  members, 
named  William  Buchan,  folded  his  arms  and  said  in 
a  sort  of  joking  way :  "  I  wish  I  was  at  home  with 
mother."  Poor  boy,  it  would  have  been  well  for  him 
if  he  had  been  there,  for  he  was  hit.  by  a  shot  the  fol- 
lowing day  while  serving  as  orderly  for  Lieut.  Shaw, 
and  lived  only  a  short  time.  When  he  was  struck 
they  were  obliged  to  retreat,  with  the  enemy  not  far 
away.  They  halted,  took  him  from  his  horse,  laid 
him  down,  and  the  brave  boy  spoke  and  said :  "  Lieu- 
tenant, go  on  or  you  will  be  captured;  do  not  stop  for 
me,  in  a  few  minutes  I  will  be  done."  He  then  shook 
hands,  saying,  "  Tell  Scudder  (my  chum)  to  tell  my 
folks  how  I  died." 

This  incident  about  Buchan  I  did  not  witness,  but 


100  IN  BATTLE,  CAMP  AND  PRISONS,  '6l-'65 

it  was  related  to  me  later  on  by  my  comrades  of  Co. 
C.  Comrade  Buchan  was  a  sample  of  whom  the  ma- 
jority of  the  army  was  composed.  Dear  reader,  think 
of  the  unselfish  patriotism  displayed  by  him  in  his 
dying  hour.  He  was  willing  to  be  left  alone  on  a 
dreary  battlefield  to  die,  in  order  that  his  comrades 
might  escape  capture  and  therefore  be  able  to  assist 
in  the  restoration  of  the  Union,  that  future  genera- 
tions, in  fact  all  mankind,  might  enjoy  the  blessings 
resulting  from  a  united  country  and  the  best  and  most 
righteous  government  on  earth. 

About  two  months  later,  after  the  Federal  army  had 
been  reinforced  and  the  enemy  driven  back,  a  large 
party  of  Federal  troops,  including  some  of  Co.  C,  went 
out  to  the  battlefield  of  Chickamauga  to  bury  the 
dead  who  had  been  left  there  unburied  after  the  bat- 
tle. I  was  informed  that  they  found  more  than  one 
thousand  unburied  bodies.  A  number  of  members  of 
Co.  C  proceeded  to  the  portion  of  the  battlefield  where 
they  had  left  Buchan  at  the  time  he  was  killed,  and 
there  found  his  remains.  There  was  not  much  re- 
maining except  the  skeleton,  but  they  identified  him 
by  his  curly  hair,  and  a  certain  peculiar  ring  on  his 
finger,  which  was  removed  and  sent  home  to  his  folks. 

The  boys  removed  and  buried  him,  and  marked  his 
grave.  Later  his  remains  were  removed  to  the  Na- 


IN    BATTLE,    CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$  101 

tional  Cemetery  near  Chattanooga,  Tenn.,  which  I 
visited  in  September,  1906,  and  with  a  kodak  photo- 
graphed the  grave,  which  is  shown  in  the  illustration. 
He  was  a  good  boy  and  loved  by  all.  On  the  day 
that  the  remains  of  Buchan  were  found  and  buried 
by  the  Co.  C  boys,  many  sad  scenes  were  discovered 
by  them  on  the  battlefield  of  Chickamauga,  which  bat- 
tle was  fought  two  months  previous.  The  marks  of 
the  fearful  strife  were  yet  visible.  Here  and  there 
were  lines  of  hastily-constructed  defenses,  the  ground 
was  strewn  with  knapsacks,  fragments  of  harness, 
haversacks,  canteens,  pieces  of  clothing,  tin  plates, 
bullet-pierced,  round  shot  and'  unexploded  shell.  And 
there  were  also  found  straps.,  cartridge  boxes,  old 
socks,  old  shoes,  letters  rotting  on  the  decaying  bodies 
of  once  brave  soldiers,  all  sad  signs  and  telling  their 
silent  story  of  the  great  fight  at  Chickamauga.  What 
a  crowd  of  sorrowful  memories !  Where  is  the  soldier 
who  wore  that  belt?  Where  the  one  who  wore  those 
shoes?  Is  he  cold  in  death?  If  so  what  eyes  have 
been  dimmed  with  tears  at  his  sad  fate?  What  hopes 
have  been  destroyed,  what  affections  crushed,  what 
hearts  wrung  with  anguish  never  more  to  brighten? 
But  sadder  sights  than  the  above  were  discovered  by 
our  boys  as  they  moved  over  the  battlefield.  The  un- 
buried  remains  of  hundreds  of  Union  soldiers  lay  full 


102  IN  BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$ 


William    Buchan's    Grave. 


IN  BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,  '6l-'65  103 

length  here  and  there,  and  again  some  had  been  part- 
ly buried,  and  others  so  slightly  covered  with  earth 
that  they  were  rooted  out  by  the  swine  and  lay  scat- 
tered about  in  promiscuous  heaps.  And  another  sight 
was  beheld.  A  deep  well  was  discovered,. filled  to  the 
surface  with  Union  soldiers.  Fellow  citizens,  do  we 
appreciate  what  we  enjoy,  which  has  been  secured  by 
such  sacrifices? 

Soon  after  the  time  that  Buchan  was  killed  by  the 
enemy's  shot  I  was  inside  of  the  line  of  the  Confeder- 
ate army  looking  for  a  place  to  escape.  Sept.  20,  1863, 
was  a  day  which  will  remain  fresh  in  my  memory  as 
long  as  I  live,  on  account  of  its  terrible  battles,  the 
loss  of  William  Buchan  and  many  others,  and  myself 
being  made  a  prisoner  of  war.  The  battle  in  our  front 
began  in  the  morning  about  nine  o'clock,  and  raged 
fiercely  at  intervals  during  nearly  the  whole  day  and 
along  Snodgrass  Hill  until  after  dark.  The  Con- 
federates charged  Palmer's  front  repeatedly,  but  were 
as  often  repulsed.  Some  parts  of  the  Union  lines  were 
broken  by  the  enemy  during  the  day  and  our  pros- 
pects for  success  appeared  rather  discouraging. 

On  one  occasion  during  the  forenoon,  when  the 
Confederates  charged  on  Palmer's  and  Baird's  posi- 
tions, they  approached  so  near  that  those  in  advance 
came  inside  of  our  temporary  defenses  and  were  made 


104  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,    '6l-'65  105 

prisoners.  I  well  remember  seeing  them  after  their 
surrender. 

The  Confederate  loss  in  our  front  was  fearful,  be- 
cause whenever  they  came  in  sight  our  artillery  poured 
forth  grape  and  canister,  which  literally  mowed  swaths 
through  their  ranks.  And  if  they  approached  within 
rifle  or  musket  range,  a  dazzling  sheet  of  flame  would 
burst  forth  from  our  long  lines  of  infantry. 

This  each  time  compelled  them  to  fall  back  in  dis- 
order. During  the  day,  while  Gen.  Palmer  and  my- 
self were  riding  from  one  part  of  the  line  to  another, 
his  horse  was  struck  just  over  one  eye  by  a  bullet, 
which  stunned  him  and  he  fell  to  the  ground.  The 
General,  being  in  a  hurry  to  reach  another  part  of  our 
line,  asked  me  to  let  him  ride  my  horse,  to  which  I 
consented  and  remained  with  his,  which  soon  re- 
covered, regained  his  feet,  and  apparently  was  all 
right  again.  The  General  returned  and  gave  me  my 
horse,  and  we  mounted  and  rode  away  to  another 
part  of  the  line,  where  he  wished  to  give  some  direc- 
tions. We  remained  here  for  some  time  to  watch  the 
progress  of  the  next  attack,  which  was  looked  for  soon 
to  come.  The  infantry  were  lying  behind  their  low 
breastworks,  and  the  gunners  of  the  artillery  were 
alert  near  their  guns  awaiting  the  attack.  The  Gen- 
eral had  just  dismounted  in  rear  of  the  line  of  battle, 


106  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,  '6l-'6$ 

and  I  was  on  my  horse  near  by  waiting  for  orders, 
when  the  enemy  made  another  terrific  movement  on 
our  line.  Immediately  our  artillery  bellowed  with  a 
deafening-  roar,  sending  forth  its  terrible  missiles  of 
destruction  among  the  enemy,  who  when  coming 
within  rifle  range  received  also  the  fire  from  our  in- 
fantry, from  whose  long  lines  burst  forth  a  sheet  of 
flame ;  and  the  Confederates  were  repulsed  with  heavy 
loss.  Their  bullets  came  over  at  a  fearful  rate;  at 
times  it  seemed  as  though  they  came  as  thick  as  if  one 
would  take  a  handful  of  shelled  corn  and  scatter  it 
broadcast.  The  roar  of  firearms  from  friend  and  foe 
was  deafening,  and  it  seemed  as  if  the  earth  trembled 
beneath  our  feet. 

The  General  was  standing,  talking  to  some  of  the 
officers.  He  turned  toward  me,  saying :  "  Eby,  you 
should  not  expose  yourself  unnecessarily.  You  would 
better  dismount  and  step  behind  a  tree  while  you  are 
waiting  for  orders."  I  immediately  obeyed  the  Gen- 
eral's suggestion  with  a  good  will.  It  was  now  some 
time  after  noon,  but  we  had  not  stopped  for  dinner, 
as  there  seemed  to  be  some  objections  on  the  other 
side.  The  firing  in  our  front  ceased  at  times,  but  we 
could  hear  the  incessant  roar  of  musketry  and  artillery 
off  at  our  right  and  rear,  we  being  on  the  left.  It 
seemed  to  move  off  farther  and  farther,  until  it  sounded 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$  107 

as  though  it  were  a  mile  away.  Then  in  a  few  mo- 
ments it  would  begin  again  nearer  to  us,  and  again 
roll  off  gradually  in  the  distance.  And  now  after 
these  forty-five  years  of  time  have  passed  when  I  think- 
about  it  I  imagine  that  I  can  hear  that  same  roar  of 
firearms. 

Thus  the  afternoon  wore  slowly  away,  we  occasional- 
ly receiving  some  news  from  other  parts  of  the  army 
in  regard  to  the  progress  of  the  battle,  sometimes 
favorable  and  at  other  times  unfavorable.  I  well  re- 
member when  the  news  came  that  Gen.  Granger's  re- 
serve corps  was  coming  to  assist  us.  We  felt  very 
much  encouraged  and  felt  like  cheering  with  per- 
haps many  others.  During  the  day,  the  exact  time  I 
do  not  remember,  the  General  with  part  of  his  staff 
(including  myself)  was  riding  down  the  line  quite  a 
distance  when  we  met  several  generals,  among  them 
Major  Gen.  Thomas. 

They  halted  and  so  did  we.  The  generals  immedi- 
ately began  talking  very  briskly,  and  seemed  to  be 
holding  a  council  of  war.  I  well  remember  Gen. 
Thomas.  During  their  conversation  I  noticed  by 
their  manner  that  something  was  not  going  right  in 
regard  to  the  battle,  as  Gen.  Thomas  shook  his  head 
several  times  in  a  way  that  indicated  trouble.  After 
the  generals  finished  their  talk  they  rode  away  to  their 
respective  commands. 


108  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$ 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$  109 


Sept.  16  ,1896. 


Henry  H.Eby:- 

Mandotta, Illinois. 
My  dear  Eby:- 

Am  obliged  to  you.  for  your  letter  of  the  llth 
and  for  the  clip  you  furnished  me  containing  the  names  of  the 
old  comrades  who  were  present  at  the  Re-union  and  who  answered 
t&  roll  call.      I   trust  you  tendered  all  who  assembled    my  kind 
e.st  regards. 

Yours  truly, 


110  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 


Eastern  Slope  of  Snodgrass  Hill,  Chickamauffa. 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65  111 

General  Thomas  was  a  model  of  good  and  noble 
character,  who  solicited  no  praise  for  himself  and  was 
sparing  of  praise  to  others.  He  declined  all  the  numer- 
ous gifts  of  houses,  lands,  money  and  bonds  tendered 
him  by  his  grateful  countrymen.  When  he  declined 
gifts  offered  to  himself,  he  urged  his  proposed  bene- 
factors to  provide  out  of  their  abundance  for  the  wants 
of  the  widows  and  orphans  of  those  who  died 
for  their  country.  General  Thomas  was  one  of 
the  most  resolute  men.  He  did  not  possess 
the  passionate  gallantry  that  we  have  often 
seen  displayed  on  fields  of  battle,  but  his  sure-footed, 
reliable  judgment  did  not  allow  him  to  fall  into  a  mis- 
take. The  victories  he  won  speak  louder  than  words. 

After  returning  to  our  division  I  saw  a  fine  horse 
lying  upon  the  ground  dead  with  its  head  almost 
severed  from  the  body.  We  were  informed  that  it 
belonged  to  Gen.  Cruft,  who  commanded  a  brigade  in 
Palmer's  division.  The  horse  had  been  struck  by  a 
cannon  shot. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  the  heaviest  firing  seemed  to 
be  shifting  toward  that  part  of  the  line  of  battle  ad- 
jacent to  Snodgrass  Hill,  where  the  enemy  was  con- 
centrating its  best  forces,  trying  hard  to  turn  our  right 
flank  and  get  possession  of  the  road  leading  to  Chatta- 
nooga. They  could  thereby  sever  our  communications 


112  IN  BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$ 


Snodgrass   Hill,  with  Stable. 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$  113 

with  the  latter  place  and  the  North,  and  they  came 
very  near  accomplishing  their  object.  Tliey  attacked 
Gen.  Thomas'  line  repeatedly  and  as  often  were  re- 
pulsed with  heavy  loss,  Gen.  Thomas  holding  his  po- 
sition. 

The  battlefield  of  Chickamanga  is  now  owned  by 
the  United  States  Government.  Monuments  have 
been  erected  marking  the  places  where  each  command 
was  stationed  during  the  battle,  and  cannon  are  in 
position  in  the  same  places  where  the  cannon  of  the 
opposing  forces  stood  during  the  battle.  The  above 
illustration,  made  from  a  photograph  taken  by  the 
author  in  1906,  represents  a  portion  of  Snodgrass  Hill 
(which  was  occupied  by  Federal  troops  during  Sept. 
20,  1863),  showing  the  old  Snodgrass  log  stable  partly 
fallen  down,  and  also  one  large  tree  which  was  shot 
nearly  to  pieces  by  the  Confederate  artillery  during 
the  battle  of  Sept.- 20,  1863.  As  can  be  seen  in  the  il- 
lustration, the  limbs  of  the  large  tree  were  nearly  all 
cut  off  by  the  Confederate  cannon  shot.  Their  guns 
being  located  down  in  the  valley  they  were  obliged 
to  elevate  them  when  firing,  and  the  tree  being  quite 
a  distance  back  on  the  summit,  as  a  consequence  they 
could  hit  the  tree  only  on  its  upper  portion.  The  tree 
is  dead  and  apparently  has  been  since  the  battle,  or 
at  least  has  been  for  a  number  of  years. 


114  IN  BATTLE,  CAMP  AND  PRISONS,  '6l-'6$ 


Portrait'  of  Gen.  Thomas. 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65  115 

The  tree  standing  near  the  stable  was  alive  when 
photographed,  in  1906.  Its  top  was  entirely  cut  off 
during  the  battle,  but  it  remained  alive  and  formed 
a  new  top,  as  shown  in  the  illustration.  The  Federal 
troops  occupied  Snodgrass  Hill  until  the  battle  ended 
in  the  evening  of  Sept.  20,  1863. 

The  last  desperate  effort  to  dislodge  Gen.  Thomas' 
command  was  made  by  the  Confederates  just  at  night- 
fall, and  they  were  repulsed  with  the  usual  result. 
They  then  ceased  the  combat  and  withdrew  their 
forces.  The  road  to  Chattanooga  remained  in  pos- 
session of  the  Federals.  Gen.  Thomas  then  also  with- 
drew his  troops  from  the  battlefield  to  Rossville, 
several  miles  in  the  rear,  where  they  remained  until 
Sept.  22,  when  they  leisurely  marched  into  Chatta- 
nooga. Thus  closed  the  fearful  battle  of  Chickamauga. 
The  enemy's  loss  according  to  reports  was  about  19,- 
000  killed  and  .wounded.  The  Federal  loss  was 
about  16,000.  It  is  claimed  by  many  that  the  great 
battle  of  Chickamauga  was  a  victory  for  the  Con- 
federates, but  I  think  differently.  Chattanooga  was 
the  objective  point  in  this  campaign.  The  armies  met 
ten  or  twelve  miles  south  of  the  place,  where  a  gen- 
eral engagement  occurred  for  the  possession  of  the 
city,  in  which  the  Confederate  loss  in  men  was  great- 
er than  the  Federal.  The  Confederates  gained  pos- 


116 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 


session  of  the  battlefield,  but  ceased  the  combat  be- 
fore the  Federal  army  vacated  its  last  line  of  battle. 
The  Federals  took  a  new  position  several  miles  to 
the  rear,  near  Rossville,  which  they  occupied  until 
Sept.  22  without  being-  molested  by  the  Confederates 


Trading1   Between   Lines. 

during   the   21st   and   22nd,   then   took   possession   of 
Chattanooga  and  held  it. 

It  was  immaterial  whether  the  fighting  for  the  pos- 
session of  Chattanooga  occurred  ten  miles  away,  or 
within  a  mile  or  two  of  the  city.  The  Federal  army 


IN   BATTLE,    CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65  117 

accomplished  its  object  at  the  battle  of  Chickamauga. 
The  Confederates  gained  nothing  that  was  of  any  ben- 
efit to  them,  but  lost  several  thousand  good  soldiers 
in  excess  of  the  Federal  loss. 

This  picture  represents  a  scene  which  lives  in  many 
a  veteran's  memory.  A  truce  to  the  murderous  picket 
firing  has  been  established,  and  the  men  have  met  to 
exchange  the  things  they  may  have  for  others  that 
they  want  more.  The  rebels  bring  tobacco,  rebel 
newspapers,  and  sometimes  corn-bread  and  fresh  meat, 
but  mainly  tobacco.  The  Union  soldiers  bring  coffee, 
hardtack,  papers,  knives,  combs  and  similar  articles, 
but  mainly  coffee.  The  rebels  wanted  many  things 
which  were  plentiful  enough  in  the  Union  camps,  but 
they  wanted  coffee  more  than  anything  else.  They 
and  their  "  women  folks "  seemed  half  crazy  for 
"  Yankee  coffee."  They  would  swap  anything  except 
their  muskets  for  it.  A  pound  of  Yankee  coffee  was 
the  most  acceptable  present  one  of  them  could  send 
back  home  to  his  mother  or  sweetheart.  It  was  not 
often  that  one  of  them  had  the  self-denial  to  do  this. 
He  wanted  it  too  badly  himself.  From  the  way  the 
Union  soldier  in  the  foreground  is  displaying  his  stock 
of  coffee,  he  must  be  expecting  to  buy  up  everything 
the  Confederates  had  in  that  section  of  the  country. 


118  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$ 

The  Historic  Balm  of  Gilead 


Johnson  Farm,  Waterloo,  N.  Y. 


T  EAV1NG  his  scythe  hanging  in  this  tree  Wyman  J.  John- 
-*— *  son  enlisted  and  was  mustered  into  service  at  Elmira, 
N.  Y.,  November  15,  1861;  and  became  member  of  Company 
G,  of  the  85th  N.  Y.  Volunteers.  He  served  in  15  engage- 
ments; was  promoted  to  Fourth  Sergeant  April  13,  1863; 
was  wounded  at  New  Burn,  N.  C,  and  died  in  the  hospital, 
Raleigh,  N.  C.,  May  22,  1864. 

The  young  sapling  has  now  grown  to  be  a  massive  tree, 
enveloping  nearly  all  of  the  scythe,  and  becoming  indeed,  a 
living  monument  of  the  dead. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
My  Capture  by  the  Confederates. 

I  was  made  a  prisoner  of  war  at  the  close  of  the  bat- 
tle of  Chickamauga,  Ga.,  Sept.  20,  1863.  Being  a 
mounted  orderly  on  Gen.  Palmer's  staff,  my  duties 
were  to  go  where  ordered,  carrying  messages  from  one 
part  of  the  army  to  another.  Gen.  Palmer's  division 
held  its  position  during  the  last  day  of  the  battle,  and 
just  about  the  time  that  the  battle  closed,  which  was 
near  the  close  of  the  day,  it  was  withdrawn.  A  short 
time  before  its  withdrawal  Gen.  Palmer  and  staff,  in- 
cluding myself  and  two  other  members  of  Co.  C,  rode 
away  from  the  line  of  battle  across  the  Kelly  field 
toward  the  woods  beyond.  But  before  reaching  the 
woods  we  came  to  an  old-fashioned  rail  fence,  and 
just  as  the  fence  was  reached  a  heavy  artillery  fire 
was  opened  upon  us.  As  near  as  I  could  ascertain  it 
came  from  the  extreme  left  of  our  army,  some  dis- 
tance north  of  the  Kelly  field,  beyond  a  patch  of  open 
woods,  where  I  saw  the  smoke  roll  up  from  some  can- 
non about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away.  The  shots  struck 
nearly  lengthwise  of  the  fence,  cutting  and  splinter- 
ing the  rails  and  throwing  the  pieces  about  us  in 


120  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

every  direction,  frightening  our  horses  so  that  we  were 
prevented  from  crossing  the  fence  as  soon  as  we  de- 
sired. 

I  had  no  objection  to  rails  but  preferred  to  have 
them  remain  in  the  fence.  The  General  and  staff 
managed  to  cross  the  fence  in  advance  just  about  the 
time  that  the  battery  opened  fire  upon  us,  and  rode 
into  the  woods,  where  we  lost  sight  of  them.  Two 
other  comrades  and  myself  were  yet  at  the  fence,  try- 
ing to  cross  and  follow  the  rest  of  the  group,  which 
was  our  duty  to  do.  We  finally  succeeded,  and  also 
rode  into  the  woods  in  search  of  the  General  but  he 
had  gained  some  distance  on  us  and  we  failed  to  find 
him.  We  continued  the  search  until,  becoming  some- 
what discouraged  and  night  closing  in  upon  us,  we 
stopped  and  held  a  council  of  war  as  it  was  called, 
trying  to  determine  in  which  direction  to  go  in  order 
to  find  the  General  or  his  division,  but  we  failed  to 
agree.  My  proposition  was  to  go  in  the  direction 
where  our  division  (Palmer's)  was  located  during  the 
day,  thinking  that  we  would  find  it  and  by  this  means 
also  find  the  whereabouts  of  the  General,  I  being  un- 
aware that  the  troops  had  been  withdrawn  from  their 
position.  My  two  comrades  started  off  in  a  different 
direction  from  the  one  taken  by  myself,  and  reached 
the  Union  lines  in  safety.  I  went  in  the  direction  in 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$ 


121 


122  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

which  I  expected  to  find  Palmer's  division,  thinking 
that  I  would  be  all  right.  After  riding  through  the 
woods  a  short  distance  I  came  to  a  deep  ravine,  and 
after  passing  down  into  it  I  found  many  wounded 
soldiers,  who  called  to  me  asking  for  water,  which 
I  was  unable  to  give  them,  as  my  canteen  was  empty, 
I  having  been  without  water  nearly  all  day  myself, 
and  did  not  know  where  to  find  any.  This  was  a  try- 
ing time  for  me,  as  I  heard  these  poor  wounded  com- 
rades groaning  and  calling  to  me  for  help,  which  I 
was  unable  to  give.  I  rode  up  the  opposite  bank  of 
the  ravine  and  some  distance  beyond.  It  had  now 
become  quite  dark,  and  I  soon  arrived  at  the  place 
where  I  expected  to  find  Palmer's  troops,  and  sud- 
denly came  to  a  long  line  of  stacked  guns,  which 
could  be  seen  by  the  aid  of  some  small  camp-fires  be- 
yond, and  on  approaching  them  saw  some  men  be- 
tween myself  and  the  fire,  near  the  guns.  Some  were 
standing,  some  sitting  and  others  lying  on  the  ground. 
These  I  thought  might  belong  to  Palmer's  division. 
Riding  up  close  to  them  I  asked  one  of  the  men  the 
number  of  his  regiment.  He  replied  "  The  16th  Miss- 
issippi." He  of  course  had  not  discovered  that  I  was 
a  Federal.  I  was  a  little  doubtful  in  regard  to  these 
troops.  Thinking  that  there  might  be  some  mis- 
understanding between  us  I  rode  down  the  line  a  short 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65  123 

distance  and  inquired  again.  The  answer  came  "  This 
is  the  20th  Louisiana."  I  was  then  satisfied  that  they 
were  Confederate  troops,  but  they  had  not  yet  identi- 
fied me  and  perhaps  thought  that  I  was  a  Confederate. 
As  the  fires  beyond  the  line  of  guns  were  not  suf- 
ficient by  which  to  distinguish  my  uniform,  I  still 
had  hopes  of  reaching  our  lines  in  safety.  I  saw  some 
small  fires  in  different  directions  which  apparently 
had  just  been  started.  As  I  subsequently  learned  I 
was  now  inside  the  main  line  of  the  Confederate  army. 
My  opinion  was  that  the  Federal  troops  had  with- 
drawn from  their*  position  during  the  evening  and 
these  Confederates  had  come  in  there  and  stacked 
arms.  The  next  thing  for  me  to  do  was  to  contrive 
some  plan  to  make  my  escape  from  inside  the  enemy's 
lines.  The  first  thing  I  thought  of  was  to  get  away 
from  these  troops  before  some  of  them  would  identi- 
fy me.  I  immediately  rode  away,  perhaps  fifteen  or 
twenty  rods,  thinking  that  I  might  escape  unnoticed. 
While  riding  through  the  woods  without  a  friend  ex- 
cept my  faithful  horse  (that  had  done  good  service 
for  Uncle  Sam  for  two  years),  I  thought  of  many 
things  in  a  few  seconds.  A  difficult  task  was  before 
me  (that  of  reaching  the  Union  lines  in  safety).  One 
great  difficulty  was  that  I  did  not  know  in  which  di- 
rection to  go.  It  being  nighttime  I  was  unable  to 


124  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,  '6l-6$ 

see  distinctly  what  was  before  me  and  my  reader  can 
imagine  my  predicament.  As  I  proceeded  on  farther 
a  voice  near  me  called  out  "  Halt !  "  which  I  obeyed. 

I  was  able  to  see  some  object  just  ahead  of  my  horse, 
but  was  unable  to  tell  what  it  was.  In  a  few  seconds 
I  discovered  two  men  near  my  horse's  head.  One 
called  out,  "  Surrender,  here,  get  off  your  horse  "  ; 
which  I  proceeded  to  do,  as  they  had  the  muzzles  of 
their  guns  uncomfortably  close  to  my  face.  And  now 
my  goose  was  cooked. 

I  never  obeyed  orders  more  promptly,  and  did  not 
stop  to  argue  the  case  with  them  noV  ask  whether  their 
guns  were  loaded.  By  the  light  of  a  few  fires  which 
had  been  started  in  the  vicinity,  these  Confederates 
were  enabled  to  identify  me  by  my  uniform,  and  I 
could  also  distinguish  them  as  we  were  now  so  near 
together.  The  Confederates  could  see  me  more  dis- 
tinctly than  I  could  them  on  account  of  my  being  on 
a  horse  and  they  on  the  ground.  There  was  not  the 
smallest  chance  to  escape,  as  I  now  found  myself  sur- 
rounded by  quite  a  number  of  the  enemy,  about  ten 
to  one.  The  two  Confederates  who  captured  me  quar- 
reled, each  claiming  my  sabre  and  revolver.  My  sabre 
was  one  we  had  captured  from  a  Confederate  lieutenant 
at  the  battle  of  Stone  River,  and  was  a  beauty. 

Little   did    I    care   which   one   got   them,   I   was   a 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$  125 


126  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

prisoner  of  war  under  guard  and  obliged  to  comply 
with  all  orders,  no  matter  what  they  were.  I  cannot 
describe  the  state  of  my  mind  just  then,  but  guess  I 
felt  some  like  the  boy,  after  getting  a  good  whipping 
which  he  did  not  deserve,  very  despondent.  In  a  few 
moments  I  was  conducted  under  guard  to  some  com- 
missioned officer's  headquarters  for  inspection.  Be- 
fore starting  I  took  my  pup  tent  from  my  saddle,  hung 
it  over  my  shoulder,  and  bade  good-bye  to  my  faith- 
ful horse,  rubbing  my  hand  down  over  her  honest  face 
as  we  parted.  But  now  at  our  final  separation  came 
over  me  a  more  piercing  sense  of  the  loss  of  my  honest 
four-footed  friend,  that  was  always  so  willing  and 
ready  to  do  her  duty.  We  had  endured  together  the 
perils  of  the  battle,  the  scout,  the  outpost  picket,  and 
the  skirmish ;  also  the  hardships  of  the  march  through 
mud  and  slush,  the  courier  service,  and  many  gripings 
of  hunger  which  we  had  shared  together.  Now  at  last 
our  paths  separated,  I  was  retired  from  actual  serv- 
ice to  become  a  prisoner,  and  she  bore  her  new  rider 
away  to  battle  against  her  old  friends.  It  was  a  sad 
parting. 

We  immediately  started  and  marched  some  distance 
through  the  woods  to  the  headquarters  of  an  officer. 
I  judged  him  to  be  a  colonel  or  a  brigadier  general,  who 
asked  a  number  of  questions  and  called  me  such 


IN  BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,  '6l-'65  127 

names  as  are  not  to  be  found  in  a  dictionary,  and  caused 
me  to  think  that  he  was  not  very  polite  in  speech. 
One  question  I  distinctly  remember  was,  "  What  did 
you  come  down  here  for  and  what  are  you  doing  here?'' 
I  said,  "To  lick  you  folks  into  the  Union."  He  re- 
plied, "  That  is  a  h 1  of  a  way,"  and  appeared  as 

cross  as  a  bear  with  a  sore  head.  But  I  thought  that 
he  was  excusable,  because  they  had  suffered  severely 
along  this  part  of  their  line  which  was  in  front  of 
Palmer's,  Reynolds',  Baird's  and  Johnson's  divisions. 
Judging  by  what  I  could  see  and  hear  during  the  even- 
ing after  my  capture,  I  was  convinced  that  the  Con- 
federates were  severely  punished  in  front  of  our  part 
of  the  army. 

When  this  sauce-box  had  gotten  through  with  me, 
I  was  conducted  a  short  distance  farther  where  five 
more  of  my  comrades  in  misfortune  were  met,  who 
had  been  captured  during  the  day  and  were  fellow 
prisoners  with  me.  We  were  here  allowed  to  rest 
but  not  to  eat  or  drink,  for  good  reasons.  It  was  now 
between  eight  and  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening  of  Sept. 
20,  and  there  was  a  little  time  for  reflection.  I  felt 
a  trifle  hungry  and  very  thirsty,  having  had  neither 
dinner  nor  supper,  and  no  water  all  day.  The  dust, 
smoke  and  heat,  combined,  made  me  feel  as  though 
I  was  about  perishing.  I  turned  my  attention  to  my 


128  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

haversack  and  found  it  as  flat  as  a  pancake,  contain- 
ing only  a  few  crumbs  of  hardtack  which  remained 
after  a  scanty  breakfast.  After  eating  those,  which 
amounted  to  nothing  in  satisfying  my  hunger,  I  felt 
even  more  hungry  than  before.  We  soon  lay  down  to 
rest  and  sleep,  and  I  realized  that  I  was  about  worn 
out  from  the  effects  of  the  two  days'  battle.  I  slept 
but  little,  but  thought  more  about  what  might  be  our 
fate  in  the  near  future.  I  probably  felt  like  a  criminal 
under  death  sentence  on  the  night  previous  to  ex- 
ecution, as  we  considered  confinement  in  southern  mili- 
tary prisons  equivalent  to  a  death  sentence.  I  feared 
that  I  could  send  no  letters  to  the  folks  at  home,  and 
if  ever  a  person  had  the  blues  I  had  them  that  night 
of  Sept.  20,  1863.  Being  made  a  prisoner  of  war  was 
something  that  I  had  never  thought  to  experience. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  Sept.  21  found  us  on  the 
march  to  some  point  unknown  to  us,  without  any- 
thing to  eat.  About  ten  o'clock  we  were  joined  by 
1,500  of  our  boys  who  had  met  with  a  similar  fate, 
and  were  also  on  their  way  to  some  southern  prison 
pen.  About  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  arrived 
at  Ringgold,  Ga.,  where  a  brief  halt  was  made  and  the 
Confederates  wrote  a  list  of  our  names.  When  this 
was  accomplished  the  march  was  resumed  in  a  south- 
easterly direction  until  evening,  when  we  halted  and 


IN   BATTLE,    CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$  129 

camped  for  the  night.  On  the  morning  of  Sept.  22 
we  drew  the  first  rations  from  "  Uncle  Jeff's  "  com- 
missary, consisting  of  one  pint  of  unsifted  cornmeal 
for  each  man,  which  was  our  day's  allowance,  but 
was  hardly  sufficient  for  a  half  a  meal.  I  think  the  Con- 
federates were  short  of  rations  themselves  and  had 
none  to  spare  for  us.  We  had  now  fasted  forty-eight 
hours,  and  a  pint  of  cornmeal  appeared  rather  small 
to  subsist  on  for  the  next  twenty-four  hours.  My 
cooking  utensils  consisted  of  one  pint  cup,  and  with  it 
full  of  meal  how  was  I  to  cook  my  mush  ?  I  took  part 
of  the  meal  out  of  the  cup  and  put  it  in  my  haversack, 
mixed  the  balance  with  water,  set  it  on  the  fire  for  a 
short  time,  and  named  it  mush.  But  now  another 
difficulty  arose.  How  was  I  to  eat  the  stuff  without 
a  spoon?  Well,  it  has  been  said  that  necessity  is  the 
mother  of  invention,  which  was  true  in  this  case,  as 
I  combined  a  small  stick  with  the  mush,  to  assist  me 
in  licking  it  out  of  the  cup,  in  dog  fashion.  I  then 
cooked  the  balance  of  the  meal  and  ate  it  also.  After 
finishing  our  breakfast  of  mush,  we  were  called  up  in 
line  by  the  Confederate  officers  in  charge,  who 
searched  us  for  firearms,  but  failed  to  find  many,  as 
there  were  but  few  in  the  crowd. 

When  the  search    was    finished    we    resumed    our 
journey,  and  walked  until  night,  when  Dalton,  Ga., 


130  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

was  reached,  a  small  town  on  the  Chattanooga  and 
Atlanta  Railroad,  where  we  camped  until  the  morning 
of  Sept.  23.  During  the  night  rations  were  issued  the 
second  time  by  the  Confederates,  which  consisted  of 
about  a  pound  of  flour  or  dough  to  each  man.  I  well 
remember  that  it  tasted  bitter,  and  appeared  to  me 
like  flour  that  had  been  wet  in  the  sack,  and  formed 
into  chunks,  which  were  mouldy  and  bitter.  Some- 
thing had  to  be  done  with  the  stuff,  to  fix  it  up  in  some 
way  that  could  be  masticated,  because  I  had  eaten 
nothing  except  a  pint  of  very  inferior  mush  during 
sixty-eight  hours,  and  to  tell  the  truth  I  was  beginning 
to  feel  a  trifle  hungry.  I  built  a  fire,  and  determined 
to  try  and  bake  my  lump  of  flour,  which  was  per- 
formed in  a  way.  We  were  camped  in  the  woods 
where  some  large  trees  had  been  chopped,  and  there 
we  found  some  clean  chips.  I  took  one  of  them,  pasted 
my  ration  of  flour  upon  it,  and  set  it  near  the  fire  to 
bake,  at  an  angle  of  about  forty-five  degrees.  When 
I  considered  it  baked  I  took  it  off  the  chip  and  found 
it  baked  only  a  little  on  the  surface,  and  that  it  had 
not  "  raised  "  a  bit.  Some  of  the  boys  declared  that  the 
"  raising  "  had  been  put  in  upside  down.  It  was  about 
as  tough  as  a  piece  of  rubber.  I  attempted  to  eat  some 
of  it  but  it  was  hard  work  and  it  seemed  to  stretch  and 
contract  alternately.  The  more  I  chewed  the  stuff 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$  131 

the  bigger  and  tougher  it  seemed  to  get,  and  it  did 
not  want  to  go  down.  I  viewed  it  and  it  appeared 
very  sad,  but  my  condition  was  much  sadder.  It  was 
a  very  serious  affair  indeed.  I  thought  of  lockjaw, 
and  many  other  misfortunes  that  might  befall  me  in 
my  attempts  to  swallow  some  of  the  rubbery  bread- 
stuff. It  was  swallow  or  starve.  It  is  natural  for  a 
person  to  think  of  remedies  in  a  strenuous  case  like 
this.  I  thought  if  the  stuff  did  unfortunately  stick 
fast  in  my  throat  we  might  apply  the  leather  whip- 
stock  remedy,  which  I  remembered  was  applied  to 
a  cow  when  choked  with  a  turnip.  A  dog  would  have 
turned  up  his  nose  at  the  offer  of  some  of  the  above- 
mentioned  bread. 

It  was  now  sunrise,  Sept.  23,  and  we  received  orders 
to  get  on  board  the  cars,  which  were  promptly  obeyed. 
They  were  ordinary  freight  cars,  but  we  were  thank- 
ful to  ride  on  any  kind  of  a  car.  The  train  moved 
southward  and  we  arrived  at  Atlanta,  Ga.,  in  the  even- 
ing of  the  same  day,  and  were  transferred  to  a  pen 
inclosed  by  a  high,  tight,  board  fence,  where  we  re- 
mained until  Sept.  25,  when  orders  were  again  re- 
ceived to  get  on  the  cars.  They  were  common  freight 
or  box  cars,  and  they  packed  us  in  almost  as  thick  as 
sardines  in  a  box.  This  was  the  worst  experience  that 
I  ever  had  in  railroad  traveling.  We  were  obliged  to 


132  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

stand  up  or  sit  on  the  floor,  and  fold  up  like  a  jack- 
knife  with  our  hands  clasped  around  our  knees  to  keep 
our  backs  from  breaking-,  and  we  suffered  all  the 
tortures  imaginable.  I  felt  as  if  every  joint  in  my  body 
was  coming  apart.  It  was  about  as  severe  as  being 
fastened  in  the  stocks.  We  were  eight  days  on  this 
journey  by  rail  from  Dalton  to  Richmond,  Va.,  but 
lay  over  in  Atlanta  one  day  and  two  nights,  and  were 
unloaded  two  different  nights  after  leaving  Atlanta, 
in  order  to  allow  us  to  straighten  our  weary  limbs  and 
sleep.  But  the  other  three  nights  we  spent  on  the 
cars,  in  torment.  It  was  hard  to  endure,  but  I  sup- 
pose it  was  as  well  as  the  Confederacy  could  do  for 
us. 

As  I  stated  before,  we  were  ordered  to  get  on  board 
of  the  cars  at  Atlanta,  Ga.,  Sept.  25,  when  we  started 
on  our  journey  toward  Augusta,  Ga.,  located  on  the 
banks  of  the  Savannah  River,  which  was  reached  the 
following  evening.  We  were  here  unloaded  and  trans- 
ferred to  a  churchyard  to  rest  during  the  night,  which 
was  found  to  be  a  very  pleasant  resting  place.  We 
had  drawn  rations  at  Atlanta,  which  consisted  of  about 
a  pound  and  one-half  of  hardtack  and  a  small  quantity 
of  bacon.  Two  and  one-half  pounds  of  hardtack  and 
bacon  for  each  man  to  subsist  on  for  six  days  were 
small  rations.  From  Augusta  we  went  by  rail  into 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$  133 

South  Carolina,  running  down  within  about  twenty 
miles  of  the  city  of  Charleston  to  a  small  place  uamed 
Branchville. 

On  our  way  we  passed  through  some  swampy 
country.  The  train  stopped  at  a  place  where  a  large 
ricefield  extended  close  to  the  track.  The  rice  was  out 
in  head  and  I  was  anxious  to  get  some  of  it,  so  the 
guards  permitted  me  to  get  off  the  car  and  procure  a 
few  heads. 

I  now  discovered  Captain  Muhleman,  of  Gen.  Palm- 
er's staff,  on  the  train,  he  being  also  a  prisoner  of 
war,  captured  about  the  same  time  that  I  was  taken. 
I  was  surprised  to  see  him,  not  knowing  previously 
that  he  had  been  taken  prisoner.  I  talked  with  him, 
and  he  appeared  to  be  very  much  discouraged  in  re- 
gard to  our  condition.  At  Branchville  we  turned  north, 
and  soon  arrived  at  Columbia,  S.  C.  (the  capital  of 
the  State),  where  the  train  halted  for  a  short  time,  but 
we  were  soon  on  our  way  again  northward,  passing 
through  some  country  which  appeared  to  me  extreme- 
ly poor.  The  soil  had  the  appearance  of  red  chalk, 
and  here  I  heard  a  good  many  remarks  made  by  the 
men  about  the  country.  One  said,  "  The  ground  is 
so  poor  that  they  could  raise  nothing  but  a  rebellion 

and  the  d 1,  and  would  be  obliged  to  fertilize  it 

before  it  would  make  brick." 


134  IN   BATTLE,    CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

I  was  of  the  opinion  that  birds  flying  over  that 
country  would  be  obliged  to  carry  haversacks,  because 
they  could  find  nothing  there  to  subsist  on,  and  that 
the  hogs  we  saw  in  the  woods  were  so  thin  that  two 
of  them  were  required  to  make  a  shadow.  Many 
other  similar  remarks  were  made  by  the  boys.  We 
passed  on  northward,  finally  reaching  the  borders  of 
North  Carolina,  the  land  of  tar,  pitch  and  turpentine. 
Passing  on,  most  of  the  country  was  found  to  be 
heavily  timbered,  but  of  course  we  saw  only  a  portion 
of  it,  as  some  of  our  journey  was  made  after  night. 

Our  next  stopping  place  of  importance  was  Char- 
lotte, N.  C,  where  we  arrived  Sept.  27,  left  the  cars, 
and  camped  for  the  night  in  a  nice,  grassy  field.  I 
rested  well  here.  We  began  thinking  about  our  ra- 
tions, which  were  getting  low,  and  I  proceeded  to  eat 
some  of  mine,  and  relished  them  after  fasting  for  some 
time.  While  eating  some  of  the  bacon  a  peculiar 
flavor  was  noticeable,  and  I  remarked  to  one  of  my 
comrades  that  I  thought  the  bacon  had  a  peculiar 
taste,  and  he  said  it  tasted  of  the  Southern  Con- 
federacy. We  arose  in  the  morning  feeling  quite  re- 
freshed, and  after  eating  a  light  breakfast  were  again 
put  on  board  the  train  and  started  eastward,  arriving 
at  Raleigh,  the  capital  of  the  State,  some  time  during 
the  day.  The  train  stopped  here  for  a  short  time,  but 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$  135 

soon  moved  on  through  the  city  northward,  toward 
Virginia,  nothing  of  importance  transpiring  on  the 
way. 

The  next  place  of  importance  was  Petersburg,  Va., 
where  the  train  halted  quite  a  long  time.  We  were  now 
not  far  from  Richmond,  Va.  After  all  was  ready  the 
train  moved  on  toward  Richmond  and  Belle  Isle, 
where  we  arrived  Sept.  30,  1863.  Between  Augusta 
and  Richmond  we  spent  three  nights  in  the  cars, 
which  almost  tormented  the  life  out  of  us. 

I  had  now  been  a  prisoner  of  war  ten  days,  and  be- 
gan to  feel  the  effects  of  it  seriously,  as  during  the 
journey  from  Atlanta  to  Belle  Isle,  which  was  a  period 
of  six  days,  we  had  only  a  pound  and  a  half  of  hard- 
tack and  a  small  piece  of  bacon  to  subsist  on.  I  have 
not  forgotten  how  carefully  those  scanty  rations  were 
guarded  by  me.  I  prized  them  as  highly  as  I  would 
the  same  weight  in  gold,  and  perhaps  they  were  of 
more  value  to  me  than  gold,  for  my  life  depended  up- 
on the  little  morsel.  Economy  was  practiced  by  me 
to  the  utmost  degree  as  I  ate  only  a  very  small 
quantity  at  a  time.  Whenever  hunger  pinched  me 
hard,  I  could  not  keep  my  hand  out  of  the  haversack. 
It  seemed  as  though  the  little  morsel  was  magnetized. 
I  would  take  a  few  bites  of  my  bacon  and  hardtack 
(the  bacon  I  was  obliged  to  eat  raw  as  I  had  no  way 


136  IN   BATTLE,    CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6 1 -'65 

of  cooking  it),  and  after  eating  just  enough  to  ag- 
gravate me,  would  be  obliged  to  stop  or  have  none  left 
for  the  following  two  or  three  days. 

During  our  journey  from  Atlanta  to  Belle  Isle  we 
saw  many  curious  crowds,  that  collected  at  the  sta- 
tions where  our  train  halted.  They  came  to  see  the 
"  Yanks,"  and  would  ask  some  funny  questions  in  re- 
gard to  the  war.  Some  would  ask,  "  What  did  you- 
all  come  down  heah  to  fight  we-uns  for?"  "  You-all 
were  captured  this  time " ;  and  many  other  curious 
questions,  too  numerous  to  mention. 


CHAPTER  IX. 
Entrance  into  Belle  Island  Prison  Pen. 

On  Sept.  30,  1863,  we  arrived  on  Belle  Island,  which 
is  located  in  the  James  River,  in  front  and  a  little 
above  Richmond,  Va.,  then  the  capital  of  the  Southern 
Confederacy.  The  train  stopped  on  the  south  side  of 
the  river  and  we  were  ordered  to  alight  and  were  con- 
ducted down  to  the  bridge  and  across  it  to  the  island. 
The  Confederate  iron  works  were  located  on  the  island, 
near  the  bridge,  it  was  now  getting  dark  and  as  we 
passed  them  they  seemed  to  be  all  aglow  from  the  light 
of  the  fires  within,  and  one  of  the  boys  remarked  in  a 
joking  way :  "  Here  are  the  iron  works,  and  the  next 

place  will  be  h 1."  I  guess  the  prison  pen  on  the 

island,  into  which  we  were  placed  a  few  moments 
later,  about  filled  the  bill. 

We  soon  arrived  at  the  place  where  we  were  to  be 
confined,  and  found  it  to  consist  of  several  acres  of 
ground,  surrounded  by  a  ditch  about  two  feet  deep 
and  three  feet  wide,  with  the  soil  thrown  up  on  the 
outside,  which  formed  the  dead-line.  Outside  of  this 
the  guards  paced  back  and  forth.  Any  person  step- 


138  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l~'6$ 

ping  upon  this  line  would  be  shot  down  without  a 
moment's  warning.  There  were  7,000  or  8,000  prison- 
ers confined  on  this  small  area  of  ground.  Nearly 
one-half  of  them  were  without  any  shelter  whatever, 
and  many  had  no  blankets  or  overcoats. 

We  arrived  at  our  new  quarters  in  the  evening,  and 
after  partaking  of  a  scanty  meal  looked  about  for  a 
spot  large  enough  to  lie  down  upon  to  sleep.  I  found  a 
place  that  reminded  me  of  the  garden  beds  we  used 
to  make  at  home,  it  being  slightly  raised,  with  a  path 
around  it.  Probably  this  had  been  made  by  some  of 
the  prisoners,  to  keep  the  water  off  in  case  of  heavy 
rains.  We  now  made  preparations  to  retire,  which 
were  very  simple.  As  many  as  could  crowd  upon  this 
small  space  of  ground  lay  down,  in  spoon  fashion ; 
that  is,  all  lying  with  our  faces  turned  in  the  same 
direction,  and  fitted  together  as  one  would  spoons  in 
packing  them  away,  in  order  to  have  sufficient  room 
and  keep  as  warm  as  possible.  We  had  nothing  under 
us  except  the  cold,  bare  earth,  and  nothing  over  us 
except  a  pup  tent  (a  piece  of  muslin  six  feet  square) 
and  the  blue  sky,  which  was  rather  light  covering. 
We  had  advantages  on  the  island  in  some  respects 
that  we  did  not  possess  at  home,  we  were  not  obliged 
to  open  the  windows  to  air  our  beds.  My  outfit  of 
clothing  consisted  of  shirt,  pants,  cavalry  jacket,  boots 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$  139 

and  hat.  I  used  my  hat  in  place  of  a  nightcap,  to 
keep  my  head  from  coming  in  contact  with  the  ground. 
I  generally  felt  quite  chilly  during  the  night,  and  did 
not  sleep  soundly.  Got  up  in  the  morning  and  found 
that  the  surroundings  looked  very  discouraging.  Did 
not  see  a  soul  that  I  knew,  but  saw  many  prisoners, 
some  of  whom  had  been  confined  here  for  months. 
These  appeared  ragged,  dirty,  and  discouraged  to  the 
last  degree.  Rations  were  very  small,  and  we  were 
hungry  continually,  but  had  plenty  of  river  water  to 
drink.  From  Belle  Isle  a  fairly  good  view  of  the  city 
of  Richmond  was  had.  We  could  plainly  see  a  build- 
ing in  which  Jefferson  Davis,  the  president  of  the 
Southern  Confederacy,  resided,  and  also  some  of  the 
large  brick  buildings  in  which  were  confined  many 
Union  soldiers.  The  famous  Libby  Prison,  in  which 
was  a  large  number  of  Federal  officers,  stood  very 
close  to  the  James  River,  in  plain  view  from  the  island. 

I  remained  here  six  days,  and  was  then  transferred 
to  the  city  of  Richmond.  On  arriving  there  I,  in 
company  with  other  prisoners,  entered  Libby  Prison 
through  the  wide  door  at  the  northwest  corner  of  the 
building. 

We  were  introduced  into  Libby  for  the  purpose  of 
being  searched,  were  formed  into  line,  and  then  the 
search  commenced.  It  was  bossed  by  a  man  named 


140 


IN  BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 


Prison,    West    Side. 

'      i 

Dick  Turner.  We  were  closely  searched,  and  every- 
thing of  value  taken  from  us  and  confiscated.  I  pos- 
sessed but  very  little  property  at  that  time.  A  two 
dollar  greenback  and  a  one  dollar  Confederate  bill  was 
all  the  money  in  my  possession.  I  had  also  an  old 
dilapidated  pocketbook,  but  it  was  of  no  value  and 
therefore  was  not  confiscated.  My  two  dollar  green- 
back they  were  unable  to  find.  I  bought  bread  with 
it  later  on.  Bread  sold  at  enormous  prices,  and  a  man 
could  easily  eat  in  one  day  what  he  could  buy  for  a 
dollar  greenback. 

From  Libby  we  were  transferred  to  and  confined  in 
a  large  four-story  brick  building,  called  the  Smith 
Prison.  It  had  formerly  been  used  as  a  tobacco  fac- 
tory, but  was  now  a  prison  for  Federal  soldiers.  I 


JN    BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65  141 


Lihby  Prison,  Northeast. 

was  confined  on  the  third  floor,  with  about  three  hun- 
dred other  prisoners.  This  was  a  large  room,  but  after 
lying  down  at  night  the  floor  was  about  covered 
with  men.  There  was  scarcely  room  enough  for  a 
person  to  walk  through  between  the  rows  of  men. 
Here  we  were  well  sheltered,  but  suffered  another  ex- 
treme, being  nearly  suffocated  on  account  of  not  hav- 
ing proper  ventilation ;  not  even  being  allowed  to  open 
a  window  wide  enough  to  admit  sufficient  fresh  air  to 
supply  the  number  of  prisoners  within. 

One  day  while  I  was  standing  near  a  window,  two 
of  my  comrades  stepped  upon  the  window  sill  and 
pulled  the  window  slightly  down,  to  admit  some  fresh 
air;  when  immediately  a  shot  was  fired  by  the  guard 


142  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

outside.  The  ball  passed  through  the  window  at  an 
angle  of  about  thirty  degrees,  fortunately  missed  the 
boys  who  opened  the  window,  but  passed  up  through 
the  floor  above  us,  which  also  contained  a  large  num- 
ber of  prisoners,  and  unfortunately  the  ball  passed 
through  one  of  them,  severely  wounding  him.  He  was 
carried  downstairs,  passing  through  our  room,  and  out- 
side, I  suppose  to  some  hospital. 

There  were  about  three  hundred  of  us  confined  with- 
in this  room,  for  a  term  of  about  two  months,  and 
during  all  that  time  we  were  hardly  allowed  to  draw 
a  breath  of  fresh  air.  What  I  mean  by  this  is,  air 
that  was  not  contaminated  by  the  foul  air  of  the  prison. 
This  and  starvation,  together,  weakened  us  to  an 
alarming  degree.  Our  rations  were  issued  once  a  day, 
and  we  generally  devoured  them  at  one  meal,  and  still 
felt  hungry.  It  was  really  just  enough  to  make  one 
meal  a  day.  The  order  to  draw  rations  generally  came 
in  the  following  manner.  The  Confederate  orderly 
would  enter  the  room  and  cry  out :  "  Sargin  ob  de 
floor,  four  men  and  four  blankets."  This  announce- 
ment in  the  southern  dialect  soon  became  a  proverb 
among  the  boys.  The  "  sargin  ob  de  floor  "  would 
then  detail  four  men  and  four  blankets  (blankets  were 
a  scarce  article  but  generally  enough  were  found  to 
carry  the  rations)  to  carry  the  rations  to  our  room. 


IN    BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-6$  143 

They  would  hasten  down  the  stairs,  and  then  those 
left  behind  anxiously  crowded  around  the  windows, 
pale,  hungry,  and  each  one  eager  to  catch  the  first 
glimpse  of  the  returning  four  men  and  four  blankets 
with  the  morsel  of  bread,  and  soup  (the  soup  being 
carried  in  buckets).  This  was  composed  of  small 
beans,  some  being  black  and  others  red,  and  nearly 
every  one  was  hollow  and  contained  several  black 
bugs  enclosed,  with  hard  shells.  When  the  beans  were 
boiled  the  bugs  separated  from  them,  and  became 
mixed  all  through  the  soup,  and  while  eating  it  we 
were  obliged  to  grind  the  bugs  between  our  teeth, 
which  made  me  think  of  chewing  parched  corn  or 
grinding  coffee.  The  ingredients  of  the  soup  except 
the  beans  and  bugs  were  unknown  to  us.  Some  de- 
clared that  there  was  mule  meat  in  it,  judging  from  the 
bones  found  in  the  soup.  I  was  almost  famished  for  a 
meat  diet,  but  did  not  care  to  have  it  in  bug  form.  The 
bread  rations  consisted  of  brown  bread,  which  tasted 
good  to  me,  but  we  could  not  tell  of  what  it  was  com- 
posed. The  quantity  was  so  small  that  it  failed  to 
satisfy  our  hunger.  Part  of  the  time  while  in  this 
building  we  received  corn-bread  instead  of  the  brown 
bread,  and  occasionally  a  small  piece  of  meat,  the 
quantity  being  too  small  to  be  mentioned.  The  soup 
was  named  by  some  of  the  men  "  bug  soup,"  and  it 


144  IN    BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$ 

was  a  very  appropriate  name,  as  the  bugs  seemed  to 
make  the  biggest  show. 

Our  beds  consisted  of  the  bare  floor.  For  covering 
I  had  my  indispensable  pup  tent.  We  remained  in 
this  building  during  the  months  of  October  and 
November,  and  during  that  time  there  was  no  fire  in 
the  room,  but  any  quantity  of  foul  air,  which  at  times 
was  so  terrible  that  I  believe  it  was  poison  to  us.  The 
closet  was  located  at  or  in  one  corner  of  the  room. 
It  was  nothing  more  than  a  space  about  six  or  eight 
feet  in  length  and  several  feet  wide,  and  extended, 
down  to  the  basement  to  the  depth  of  twenty  or 
twenty-five  feet.  It  was  enclosed  on  three  sides,  and 
the  side  which  opened  into  our  room  or  prison  had 
no  door.  It  remained  open  all  the  time  that  we  were 
confined  in  this  place.  I  do  not  know  whether  there 
was  sufficient  water  at  the  bottom  of  the  closet  to 
carry  away  all  the  refuse  or  not,  but  by  what  we 
saw  I  think  not.  The  condition  of  the  atmosphere 
was  simply  horrible  beyond  description.  At  times  it 
seemed  as  if  we  would  certainly  suffocate.  In  this 
condition  about  three  hundred  of  us  lived,  slept,  and 
dined,  for  a  period  of  about  two  months  in  the  room 
just  mentioned.  We  usually  became  quite  chilly  dur- 
ing the  night,  while  lying  on  the  cold  floor.  Our 
clothing  was  thin,  as  we  were  captured  during  warm 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$  145 

weather  and  therefore  were  not  prepared  for  winter. 

While  in  the  Smith  Prison  I  formed  an  acquaintance 
with  a  number  of  the  boys,  with  whom  many  good 
talks  were  enjoyed  about  our  homes  and  friends  so 
far  away,  and  those  we  had  left  several  years  before, 
perhaps  never  to  see  again.  My  most  intimate  friend 
while  there  was  a  "  Doc."  Davis  who  belonged  I  think 
to  the  55th  Indiana  Infantry.  Davis  and  I  bunked  to- 
gether, as  we  called  it.  Each  possessed  a  pup  tent, 
which  we  doubled  for  a  covering  at  night.  Davis  was 
not  feeling  well  here.  He  would  arise  in  the  morning, 
sometimes  groaning  with  pain,  caused  by  lying  on  the 
cold,  hard  floor  all  night.  He  died  soon  after  his  re- 
turn from  prison. 

I  also  formed  acquaintance  with  a  man  named  Scott, 
and  another  named  Seaman,  both  members  of  the  21st 
Wisconsin,  and  very  fine  boys  they  were.  Both  of 
them  died  in  prison.  We  nightly  dreamed  of  getting 
something  good  to  eat,  for  this  idea  was  uppermost 
in  our  minds,  and  we  were  constantly  reminded  of 
it  by  the  gnawing  hunger  endured.  Many  times  I 
dreamed  of  being  at  home  and  eating  of  the  luxuries 
to  be  found  there.  Oh,  what  a  disappointment  on 
awaking  from  such  happy  dreams,  to  find  myself 
in  such  a  wretched  condition  as  we  were.  Many  of 
the  men  soon  became  weak  and  disabled,  from  the 


146  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$ 

poisonous  atmosphere  created  by  the  breathing  of  the 
several  hundred  men  confined  here,  and  the  horrid 
stench  from  the  closet.  The  starvation  and  feeling 
of  utter  despair  to  which  they  gave  way  was  also  a 
factor.  They  became  so  emaciated  that  many  were 
unable  to  stand  up  during  roll  call.  This  was  usual- 
ly called  once  a  day  by  a  spry  little  man  named  Ross. 
The  boys  named  him  "  Jack  of  Clubs."  I  well  re- 
member his  countenance.  Whenever  he  came  in  to  call 
the  roll,  and  any  of  the  boys  did  not  get  up  quick 
enough  to  suit  him,  he  would  go  to  them  and  abuse 
them  in  a  brutal  manner.  Those  who  were  sick  and 
unable  to  rise  he  frequently  left  for  days  and  weeks 
before  reporting  to  the  hospital.  He  always  came  in 
accompanied  by  a  large  man,  carrying  an  old  musket 
barrel  in  his  hand.  Three  or  four  guards  also  ac- 
companied him.  The  man  with  the  musket  barrel 
generally  helped  to  get  the  boys  in  line  by  cuffing 
them.  Roll  call  took  place  early  in  the  day,  after 
which  we  would  begin  "  skirmishing  for  graybacks  " 
(  as  we  called  it)  of  which  we  all  had  a  good  supply. 

This  occupation  helped  us  to  pass  away  some  of 
the  long,  tedious  hours  of  our  confinement.  Some 
perhaps  do  not  understand  what  is  meant  by  the  word 
"  grayback,"  which  I  will  now  explain.  A  grayback 
is  a  small,  carnivorous  insect — or  plainly  speaking  a 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 


147 


louse — which  infests  the  inner  garments  of  a  person 
who  is  unable  to  change  his  clothing  frequently,  which 
was  the  case  with  us  in  the  prisons.  In  fact  we  never 
changed  our  garments  while  in  prison.  It  was  not 
stylish  to  do  so,  and  if  it  had  been  we  could  not,  as 


Skirmishing-    for    Graybacks. 


we  possessed  only  what  we  had  on  our  backs  and  they 
changed  themselves.  Some  were  obliged  to  wear  their 
shirts  until  they  literally  wore  off,  or  were  kicked 
to  pieces  by  the  graybacks  and  fell  from  their  backs. 
I  will  now  explain  what  is  meant  by  skirmishing.  It 


148  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6^ 

was  taking  off  our  shirts,  turning  them  inside  out, 
and  carefully  searching  for  and  killing  the  graybacks, 
which  were  sometimes  very  numerous,  and  tormented 
us  in  such  a  way  at  night  that  we  were  scarcely  able 
to  sleep. 

The  mode  of  killing  these  graybacks  was  as  fol- 
lows :  As  stated  before,  the  garment  was  turned  in- 
side out,  and  then  the  game  was  soon  found,  over- 
taken and  slain.  Our  weapons  consisted  of  our 
thumb  nails.  The  hands  were  placed  near  each  other 
in  about  the  position  that  a  person  would  hold  them 
when  knitting  with  knitting  needles,  with  the  upper 
part  of  the  thumb  nails  nearly  touching.  When  in 
operation  the  movement  of  the  hands  was  about  the 
same  as  it  would  be  when  knitting.  This  work  might 
properly  have  been  called  "  knitting,"  because  nits 
were  more  numerous  than  graybacks.  In  the  work 
mentioned  above  the  results  depended  upon  the 
amount  of  labor  performed ;  the  faster  we  worked  the 
more  we  accomplished.  These  pests  had  become  so 
numerous  that  it  was  all  a  well  man  could  do  to  keep 
them  within  a  reasonable  limit.  These  miserable  tor- 
menters  were  always  hungry  like  ourselves,  because 
they  had  poor  pasture  feeding  on  our  bodies.  Some- 
times when  things  in  prison  were  reasonably  quiet 
many  of  those  insects  would  venture  out  on  the 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,,   '6l-'65  149 

vacant  spaces  of  the  floor,  and  it  was  amusing  to  us 
boys  to  watch  their  maneuvers.  A  number  of  us 
would  sometimes  be  sitting  in  a  row  on  the  floor,  with 
our  backs  to  the  wall,  and  suddenly  our  attention 
would  be  turned  to  a  number  of  these  pests  in  groups 
about  the  floor.  Of  course  the  boys  would  make  re- 
marks about  their  performance.  Some  would  say: 
"  Hello,  the  graybacks  are  going  on  dress  parade." 
Others  declared  they  were  foraging  parties,  looking 
for  provisions,  and  would  call  out :  "  Look  out,  boys, 
they  are  looking  you  fellows  over  to  find  out  which 
one  of  you  has  any  meat  left  on  him,  and  then  they 
will  go  for  you."  Those  men  who  were  weak  and 
helpless  were  nearly  eaten  alive  by  these  millions  of 
parasites.  It  did  not  seem  unreasonable  when  one  of 
the  men  declared  that  he  had  seen  a  dead  man  with 
quarts  of  graybacks  upon  him.  No  doubt  but  that 
the  days  of  these  poor  sick  boys  were  materially 
shortened  by  these  insects. 

I  used  my  boots  for  a  pillow  at  night,  while  trying 
to  sleep,  by  placing  them  together  in  a  way  that  would 
locate  the  most  congenial  part  of  the  boots  next  to  and 
in  contact  with  my  head.  I  found  a  contrast  between 
my  pillow  and  one  composed  of  good  goose  feathers, 
but  the  boot  pillow  was  a  decided  improvement  over 
the  hard  floor,  and  it  was  also  the  best  that  could  be 


150  IN   BATTLE,    CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$ 

done  under  the  circumstances,  as  we  could  get  no 
rubbish  of  any  kind  to  place  under  our  heads,  and  I 
did  not  dare  to  take  off  my  jacket  to  use  as  a  pillow, 
or  I  would  have  chilled.  The  boot  pillow  was  a  severe 
test  on  the  phrenological  organs  of  the  head.  Some 
of  my  comrades  feared  that  we  might  receive  fatal 
injuries  from  the  effects  of  our  hard  pillows,  and 
others  allowed  that  it  would  improve  our  fighting 
qualities  by  an  enlargement  of  that  organ.  I  was  not 
the  only  one  who  endured  the  pangs  of  a  hard  pillow. 
Nearly  or  quite  all  suffered  the  same,  in  common. 
There  was  no  partiality  shown  in  this;  the  hardships 
were  as  free  as  water  for  all,  and  the  hard  pillow  was 
not  the  only  torture,  when  we  tried  to  sleep  in  the 
Smith  Prison.  As  I  stated  before,  our  clothing  was 
thin,  and  what  meat  was  left  on  us  also  thin.  And 
when  lying  on  the  hard  floor'at  night,  trying  to  sleep, 
it  seemed  as  if  our  bones  were  determined  to  punch 
holes  through  our  grayback-eaten  hides.  Some 
thought  if  we  ever  got  out  of  prison  Uncle  Sam  would 
be  obliged  to  patch  us  up,  like  a  person  would  patch 
an  old  torn  garment. 

My  opinion  was  that  there  would  be  but  very  few 
of  us  left  that  would  be  worth  patching  after  the 
Southern  Confederacy  was  through  with  us,  and  I 
think  now  that  I  was  correct.  No  person  can  compre- 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6 1 -'65  151 

hend  the  extent  of  the  intense  suffering  endured  by 
the  men  in  prison  except  those  who  were  confined  in 
them.  We  suffered  a  dozen  things  at  the  same  time, 
that  made  us  miserable.  They  occur  to  me  as  fol- 
lows: Starvation,  cold,  bad  ventilation,  tormented  by 
graybacks,  filthy  clothing,  no  opportunity  for  bath- 
ing, bad  sanitation,  close  confinement,  food  of  poor 
quality,  soreness  caused  by  sleeping  on  the  bare  floor, 
the  sight  of  so  much  misery  all  about  us,  and  the 
thought  of  being  domineered  over  by  a  cruel  keeper. 
I  had  the  pleasure  (?)  of  enjoying  (?)  with  hundreds 
of  other  comrades  all  the  hardships  just  mentioned, 
which  was  a  great  combination  of  torments  and  as  I 
thought  a  severe  dose. 

Trading  with  the  guards  became  an  extensive  busi- 
ness considering  the  amount  of  capital  invested.  Capi- 
tal with  us  was  very  small,  on  account  of  our  having 
been  closely  searched  by  the  Confederates  before  en- 
tering prison.  All  money  and  valuables  that  could  be 
found  on  our  persons  were  confiscated,  but  they  were 
unable  to  find  all  the  greenbacks  that  the  boys  had 
hidden  in  their  clothing  in  various  ways. 

When  starvation  began  to  take  effect  they  used 
this  money  to  purchase  bread  from  the  guards,  at 
enormous  prices.  Some  of  the  guards  were  very 
clever  fellows,  and  would  do  favors  for  us  when  the 


152  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$ 

officers  were  not  about.  Sometimes  they  furnished 
us  with  the  Richmond  papers,  which  was  against  the 
orders  of  the  Confederacy.  Thereby  we  were  enabled 
to  get  a  little  of  the  outside  news. 

Sometime  in  November  we  received  some  rations 
from  Uncle  Sam,  which  were  sent  through  the  Con- 
federate lines  to  us.  This  partly  supplied  us  for  about 
a  week,  after  which  we  received  no  more  during  our 
imprisonment.  Some  days  later  I  read  an  order  in 
a  Richmond  paper  as  follows :  "  No  more  rations  or 
clothing  shall  be  allowed  to  come  through  the  Con- 
federate lines  to  prisoners  of  war  in  our  possession." 
Signed  by  those  in  authority  in  the  Confederate  gov- 
ernment. They  claimed  that  it  was  a  disgrace  for 
them  to  allow  our  government  to  feed  us.  The  famous 
Confederate  commander  of  cavalry,  John  Morgan, 
came  into  our  prison  one  day  in  November.  He 
seemed  to  be  looking  for  some  person  or  persons,  as 
he  passed  through  the  room,  but  I  never  heard 
whether  he  found  the  one  he  was  searching  for.  I 
well  remember  his  looking  us  over  very  closely. 

An  Ohio  boy,  whose  name  I  cannot  recall,  did  some 
trading  with  the  guards  with  the  intention  of  procur- 
ing a  Confederate  uniform.  The  place  where  the  trad- 
ing was  usually  done  was  at  the  foot  of  the  lower  stair- 
way, where  a  door  opened  into  a  reception  room,  which 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6 1 -'65  153 

also  had  a  door  opening  into  the  street  or  on  to  the 
sidewalk.  A  guard  was  stationed  at  the  foot  of  the 
stairway,  and  another  at  the  door  which  opened  from 
this  room  into  the  street.  This  constituted  a  double 
guard. 

A  number  of  Confederates  who  were  not  on  duty 
would  enter  this  room,  bringing  with  them  some  arti- 
cles of  food,  and  any  prisoner  who  was  fortunate  enough 
to  have  some  greenbacks  could  purchase,  at  enormous 
prices.  This  Ohio  boy,  mentioned,  first  traded  for  a 
Confederate  cap,  next  a  coat,  and  third,  a  pair  of 
pants  which  were  of  the  grey  Confederate  uniform. 
He  did  not  procure  them  all  the  same  day.  He  brought 
them  upstairs  into  our  room  and  took  off  his  blue  suit 
and  put  on  the  grey.  He  then  walked  down  the  stair- 
way and  commenced  trading  with  the  Confederates 
who  were  standing  about  the  room.  While  they  were 
busy  trading  he  passed  the  inner  guard  and  into  the 
reception  room  unnoticed,  and  then  walked  leisurely 
about  the  room,  talking  to  the  Confederates,  not  being 
particularly  noticed  by  them,  and  finally  walked  past 
the  outer  guard  into  the  street.  The  guards  no  doubt 
supposed  him  to  be  one  of  their  own  men  on  account 
of  his  being  dressed  in  a  grey  uniform.  He  walked 
leisurely  up  the  street  to  a  bakery,  where  he  purchased 
some  bread,  and  then  retraced  his  steps,  walking  back 


154  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

past  our  prison,  which  was  the  last  time  we  saw  him 
Some  time  later  we  learned  that  he  had  made  his 
escape  to  the  Union  lines.  He  certainly  was  a  shrewd 
boy. 


CHAPTER  X. 

Our  Return  to  Danville — Many  Sick  with  Smallpox — 
Smallpox  Hospital,  and  Convalescent  Camp. 

On  the  morning  of  Dec.  9,  1863,  the  order  came  for 
us  to  go  to  Danville,  Va.,  located  on  the  North  Carolina 
line  a  distance  from  Richmond  of  about  150  miles  in 
a  southwesterly  direction.  We  started  before  daylight 
in  the  morning,  going  by  rail.  I  remember  my  sur- 
prise as  we  marched  out  into  the  street.  My  limbs 
were  very  weak,  and  some  pain  in  my  knee  joints  and 
other  parts  of  the  body  caused  me  to  stagger  a  little  as 
I  walked.  We  were  escorted  to  the  railroad  station 
and  crowded  into  freight  cars,  and  arrived  at  Danville 
in  the  evening  of  the  same  day.  We  were  then  un- 
loaded and  confined  in  a  building  similar  to  the  one 
we  had  left,  received  nearly  the  same  kind  of  food, 
and  enjoyed  about  such  privileges  as  we  did  in  Rich- 
mond, being  continually  hungry,  filthy,  crowded  and 
chilly,  and  also  irritated  by  the  industrious  graybacks, 
which  seemed  determined  to  keep  us  company  without 
being  invited,  and  which  caused  the  most  of  us  to  be 
rather  ill-natured. 

The  smallpox  made  its  appearance  here  about  Dec. 
13,  but  I  was  not  aware  of  it  until  about  eight  days  later, 
when  I  became  very  sick,  and  was  lying  upon  the  cold, 


156  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

bare  floor  for  a  number  of  days  without  any  attention 
whatever.  On  Dec.  24  a  doctor  came  in,  looked  me 
over,  and  informed  me  that  I  had  smallpox,  but  I  was 
feeling  so  very  sick  that  this  information  did  not  make 
much  impression  on  me.  I  did  not  seem  to  care  what 
I  had  or  what  became  of  me.  Late  in  the  afternoon 
they  came  with  a  two-wheeled  dray,  upon  which  I 
was  loaded  and  hauled  about  a  mile  to  the  smallpox 
hospital,  while  the  wind  was  blowing  almost  a  gale 
from  the  northwest,  and  cold  for  that  locality.  On 
arriving  at  the  hospital,  about  sunset,  I  found  it  to 
be  quite  a  comfortable  place  compared  to  where  I  had 
been  staying.  It  contained  cots  for  the  sick  such  as 
we  used  in  our  own  hospitals.  I  was  placed  upon  one 
of  these,  and  on  either  side  of  me  were  those  who 
appeared  very  sick.  The  one  on  my  right  died  the 
first  night  I  was  there. 

This  being  Christmas  eve,  my  thoughts  were  of 
course  of  home,  and  the  happy  times  we  always  en- 
joyed on  such  occasions.  I  felt  very  gloomy  when 
realizing  my  condition  and  the  place  in  which  I  was 
confined,  hardly  possessing  the  necessaries  of  life, 
and  being  a  prisoner  of  war,  sick  and  in  the  hands  of 
an  enemy.  This  Christmas  eve  seemed  very  long  and 
tedious.  The  pustules  were  then  beginning  to  break 
out  on  me  and  my  head  seemed  to  me  as  large  as  a 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$  157 

bushel  basket.  There  were  no  pit  marks  left  upon  me 
from  the  effects  of  the  smallpox,  as  I  had  previously 
been  dieted,  by  the  kindness  of  the  Southern  Confed- 
eracy, which  was  expert  at  dieting  its  prisoners  of  war. 

The  days  and  nights  wore  slowly  away,  and  in  a 
few  days  I  began  to  feel  better  and  was  able  to  watch 
the  proceedings  about  me  in  the  hospital.  Some  new 
patients  were  being  brought  in  continually,  while 
others  died  and  were  carried  out  to  the  dead-house. 
This  was  a  log  house  near  by,  where  the  dead  were 
stored  until  ready  for  burial,  and  was  generally  well 
occupied,  as  many  died  and  were  buried  here. 

I  had  now  been  hej-e  a  number  of  days,  andjto  my 
surprise,  one  day  Doc.  Davis,  who  was  my  chum  in 
Richmond,  came  into  the  ward  in  which  I  was  con- 
fined, and  told  me  that  he  had  been  detailed  to  be  hos- 
pital steward  of  the  smallpox  hospital.  The  news  of 
Doc.  Davis'  presence  cheered  me  up  wonderfully.  Of 
course  he  did  all  he  could  for  us  sick  boys.  The 
weather  for  this  latitude  was  extremely  cold  during 
the  latter  part  of  1863  and  the  beginning  of  1864,  but 
of  course  not  as  severe  as  in  the  northern  States.  Yet 
we  suffered  greatly  on  account  of  not  being  well  pre- 
pared for  it.  About  two  weeks  had  been  spent  by  me 
in  the  hospital,  and  my  health  was  greatly  improved. 
The  authorities  were  talking  of  putting  us  in  the  con- 


158  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-6$ 

valescent  camp,  which  they  did  about  the  second  week 
in  January. 

This  camp  was  very  well  located,  and  was  composed 
of  tents,  having  chimneys  made  of  mud  and  sticks, 
with  a  fireplace.  We  were  quite  comfortably  housed, 
and  were  allowed  to  have  wood  for  fire  if  we  chopped  it, 
and  those  who  were  able  did  so.  Three  of  us  con- 
valescents were  quartered  in  one  small  tent.  Here  I 
became  acquainted  with  my  tentmates,  William  Her- 
rick,  of  Co.  F,  30th  Indiana,  and  Calvin  W.  Hudson, 
of  Co.  D,  65th  Ohio.  We  soon  became  quite  intimate, 
and  had  many  friendly  chats  together  about  home  and 
friends,  and  laying  plans  for  our  escape  from  prison. 
We  had  bunks  fixed  up,  made  of  boards,  so  that  our 
beds  were  not  on  the  ground.  We  had  now  secured 
woolen  blankets  from  Uncle  Sam,  and  had  one  apiece. 

This  camp  was  guarded  by  North  Carolina  troops. 
Their  guard  line,  on  which  the  guards  paced  to  and 
fro,  was  about  ten  or  fifteen  feet  from  our  row  of 
tents.  The  cookhouse  was  located  in  the  southeast 
corner  of  the  camp,  in  which  the  rations  were  cooked 
for  the  sick  and  convalescent.  By  this  time  our  ap- 
petites had  become  the  largest  part  of  us.  It  seemed  to 
me  that  I  could  eat  anything,  from  a  dog  to  a  saw- 
horse,  which  was  an  indication  that  my  health  was 
improving. 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$  159 

One  day  when  outside  our  tent  near  the  cookhouse 
window,  I  discovered  some  turnip  and  potato  parings 
lying  on  the  ground,  which  had  been  thrown  out  of 
the  cookhouse  window.  I  gathered  them  up,  and 
while  doing  so  also  discovered  an  old  beef  bone,  which 
I  picked  up,  and  put  the  bone  parings  and  some  water 
together  in  an  old  tin  can.  I  placed  it  over  the  fire 
and  allowed  the  morsel  to  boil  for  quite  a  long  time. 
This  formed  a  sort  of  soup,  with  a  little  grease  from 
the  bone  floating  on  the  top.  I  stirred  it  well,  and  as 
soon  as  it  was  cool  enough  ate  it  with  great  relish, 
thinking  it  the  best  soup  that  I  had  ever  tasted.  I 
was  extremely  hungry,  and  could  hardly  refrain  from 
tasting  it  while  stirring.  I  probably  acted  like  some 
little  child  would  when  there  is  a  prospect  for  some- 
thing good  to  eat.  I  ate  the  soup  and  eagerly  wished 
for  more,  and  would  have  given  a  small  fortune  (had 
I  possessed  one)  for  some  more  of  the  same  kind.  No 
man  can  realize  what  a  torture  it  is  to  be  starving,  un- 
less he  has  had  the  experience. 

The  days  wore  slowly  away,  and  one  day  Doc.  Davis 
came  to  our  tent  and  surprised  me  by  saying:  "  Eby, 
there  has  been  a  small  box  received  in  camp,  addressed 
to  H.  H.  Eby,  Co.  C,  7th  Illinois  Cavalry."  I  was  so 
elated  over  the  news  that  I  could  hardly  be  restrained, 
and  of  course  immediately  set  about  to  procure  my 


160  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

box,  which  contained  a  loaf  of  bread,  some  crackers,  a 
small  quantity  of  cheese,  a  few  onions,  a  small  piece 
of  pork,  butter,  pepper  and  salt.  If  I  remember  rightly 
the  box  was  brought  to  me  by  Doc.  Davis.  It  was  sent 
by  my  brother  Moses,  who  at  that  time  lived  near  Men- 
dota,  111.  He  died  at  Freeport,  111.,  July  10,  1909.  My 
receiving  this  box  was  a  mere  accident,  as  thousands 
of  them  were  sent  to  others  which  never  reached  their 
destination.  For  a  day  or  two  my  two  comrades  in 
my  tent  and  myself  had  quite  a  feast  from  the  contents 
of  this  box.  Oh,  what  a  luxury  it  was,  as  since  our 
confinement  we  had  had  very  little  food  that  was 
palatable. 

We  now  began  thinking  seriously  about  making  our 
escape  from  prison  to  our  lines,  because  the  food  in 
the  box  would  furnish  us  with  a  few  days'  provisions 
to  start  with.  William  Herrick,  of  Co.  F,  30th  Indiana, 
concluded  to  start  with  me.  Hudson  was  too  sick  to 
make  the  journey  with  us.  Each  of  us  possessed  a 
haversack,  which  we  filled  with  some  of  the  eatables 
from  the  box,  and  now  our  commissary  stores  were 
ready  for  the  journey.  What  eatables  were  left  in  the 
box  were  given  to  Hudson,  who  remained  in  camp. 
A  day  or  two  previous  to  our  departure  Doc.  Davis 
came  to  our  tent,  and  wanted  to  know  if  I  would 
divide  some  provisions  with  him,  as  he  was  going  to 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65  161 

attempt  his  escape  that  night,  and  I  replied  in  the 
affirmative.  He  returned  to  his  tent,  and  we  learned 
the  next  day  that  he  had  made  his  escape.  I  never  saw 
him  afterward,  but  heard  after  I  returned  to  our  lines 
that  he  finally  reached  the  Union  lines  in  safety.  Poor 
fellow,  he  was  not  well,  and  had  a  hard  time  getting 
through  to  his  regiment,  and  lived  only  a  short  time 
afterward.  I  sincerely  hope  that  he  is  receiving  his 
well-earned  reward.  The  second  night  after  Davis 
escaped,  Herrick  and  I  passed  the  guard  line  and 
succeeded  as  far  as  getting  out  of  the  clutches  of  the 
guards. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

About  eight  or  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening  of  Jan. 
22,  1864,  our  light  was  extinguished,  and  Herrick  and 
I  each  put  on  a  haversack,  well  filled,  and  bade  fare- 
well  to  Hudson,  who  was  yet  sick.  Now  came  the 
critical  moment,  as  the  guard  line  must  be  passed  with- 
out being  detected.  Near  our  tent  was  a  depression  in 
the  ground,  crossing  the  guard  line.  We  selected  this 
place  through  which  to  make  our  escape. 

The  forward  movement  was  now  about  to  begin.  We 
left  the  tent,  and  crawled  down  through  the  depression 
across  the  line  without  being  discovered  by  the  guards. 
It  seems  that  good  luck  favored  us,  as  the  guards  were 
passed  without  being  disturbed.  We  walked  quietly 
down  the  gully  which  farther  on  merged  into  quite  a 
ravine.  This  was  followed  on  down  by  us  as  hastily 
as  we  could,  a  distance  of  eighty  or  one  hundred  rods 
in  a  southerly  direction,  where  a  high  rail  fence  was 
reached.  Here  a  brief  rest  was  enjoyed,  as  we  were 
nearly  exhausted.  Our  being  weakened  by  sickness, 
and  the  excitement  of  passing  the  guards  had  some 
effect  upon  us,  and  we  were  in  a  very  poor  condition 
for  the  perilous  journey.  I  put  my  arms  over  the  top 


164  IN    BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

rail  of  the  fence  and  hung  on  it,  to  support  myself  and 
rest.  This  attempt  of  making  our  escape  was,  as  we 
discussed  later  on,  a  foolish  undertaking  when  in  such 
a  debilitated  condition,  as  we  were  to  start  out  through 
an  enemy's  country  in  the  winter  season.  But  the  love 
of  liberty  was  strong  within  us,  and  we  thought  it 
better  to  perish  in  trying  to  escape  than  to  die  in  the 
filthy  prison  pens. 

The  evening  of  Jan.  22,  1864,  I  shall  never  forget. 
To  our  best  knowledge  in  regard  to  the  location  of 
things  we  were  now  over  one  hundred  miles  from  any 
Union  troops.  This  distance  was  through  an  enemy's 
country,  full  of  rivers  and  small  streams  which  we 
were  obliged  to  cross,  as  well  as  hills,  mountains  and 
many  other  obstacles  which  must  be  encountered  and 
overcome.  This  had  to  be  accomplished  mostly  at 
night,  for  fear  of  being  seen  and  recaptured  by  the 
Confederates.  After  being  rested  somewhat,  we  left 
the  fence  and  started  in  a  westerly  direction,  finally 
turning  to  the  northwest,  in  which  direction  the  Union 
lines  were  located. 

We  journeyed  on  slowly  during  a  part  of  the  first 
night,  through  the  woods  and  brush,  over  rocks  and 
ravines,  crossing  small  streams  of  water  by  placing 
sticks  across  to  walk  upon,  making  slow  progress  until 
two  or  three  o'clock  in  the  morning.  We  then  began 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65  165 

looking  about  for  a  place  to  conceal  ourselves  during 
the  following  day,  and  also  to  rest  and  sleep.  While 
passing  through  a  grove  we  came  upon  a  large  white 
oak  tree,  which  had  been  cut  down  during  the  summer 
or  fall  while  the  leaves  were  on  its  branches,  and  on 
that  account  the  leaves  were  still  remaining.  This 
made  a  good  comfortable  hiding  place  for  us  during 
the  following  day,  as  the  leaves  were  very  dense.  We 
concluded  this  would  be  as  good  a  place  as  could  prob- 
ably be  found,  to  conceal  ourselves.  By  crawling  un- 
der the  tree  and  gathering  some  leaves  a  bed  was  pre- 
pared, placing  them  under  us,  and  Herrick  spread  his 
blanket  out  upon  the  leaves.  We  took  off  our  haver- 
sacks, which  contained  our  supply  of  provisions  for 
several  days,  and  lay  down  upon  our  bed,  using  my 
blanket  for  a  covering.  After  lying  down  we  found 
ourselves  extremely  tired  from  our  night's  journey 
of  eight  or  ten  miles.  I  remember  being  very  un- 
comfortable after  retiring,  as  it  was  a  cold  night  and 
we  were  chilly.  After  becoming  a  little  more  comfort- 
able we  fell  into  a  sound  slumber.  On  awakening  the 
next  day  hunger  appeared,  and  we  began  partaking  of 
the  contents  of  our  haversacks.  After  eating  our 
breakfast  we  felt  much  revived  from  our  fatigue,  and 
contented  ourselves  during  the  day  by  talking  over 
the  prospects  ahead  of  us  and  also  the  dangers  that 


166  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

were  awaiting  us  by  being  overtaken  by  the  prison 
guards,  as  we  were  now  only  about  eight  or  ten  miles 
from  prison. 

As  near  as  could  be  ascertained  we  were  now  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  line  between  North  Carolina  and  Vir- 
ginia, probably  in  North  Carolina,  as  Danville  prison 
was  about  on  the  line.  I  knew  that  we  were  at  least 
as  far  south.  Another  fear  now  came  over  us,  that 
the  Confederates  would  put  some  of  their  bloodhounds 
on  our  trail  i  so  we  remained  in  the  tree  top  the  greater 
part  of  the  day,  and  about  sunset  rolled  up  our  blankets 
and  prepared  to  move. 

We  ate  our  suppers  and  began  to  look  about  to  see 
what  was  ahead  of  us,  and  as  soon  as  it  was  thought 
safe  resumed  our  journey  for  the  night ;  this  being  the 
evening  of  Jan.  23.  As  soon  as  the  stars  could  be  dis- 
tinguished we  looked  them  over  and  by  them  were 
guided.  Our  aim  was  to  go  in  a  northwesterly  direc- 
tion, but  when  the  Dan  River  was  reached  were  obliged 
to  go  directly  west,  and  in  this  direction  we  journeyed 
until  sometime  during  the  night  when  a  cedar  thicket 
was  passed  on  the  south  bank  of  the  river.  The  Dan  Riv- 
er was  found  to  be  quite  a  wide  stream,  and  the  problem 
now  was  how  to  cross  it.  We  followed  along  the  bank 
of  the  stream  during  the  night  until  we  were  very  tired, 
failing  to  find  a  way  to  cross  it,  and  then  looked  about 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65  167 

for  a  hiding  place  in  which  to  conceal  ourselves  the 
following  day. 

As  we  passed  along  we  found  the  bank  of  the  river 
to  be  mostly  covered  with  cedar  thickets,  in  which  we 
made  our  hiding  and  sleeping  place  for  the  latter  part 
of  the  night  and  during  the  next  day.  We  crawled  in- 
to a  large  bunch  of  cedar  brush,  and  prepared  our 
sleeping  place  similar  to  the  night  previous,  went  to 
bed  and  slept  until  sometime  the  following  day.  On 
awaking  we  found  the  sun  shining  brightly.  This 
was  Sunday  morning,  Jan.  24,  and  I  must  confess  that 
I  felt  homesick.  After  eating  breakfast  we  made  prep- 
arations to  find  a  place  for  crossing  the  river.  We 
were  unable  during  the  night  to  find  a  crossing.  There 
being  no  houses  in  this  immediate  vicinity  that  could 
be  discovered,  and  the  country  being  heavily  timbered, 
we  considered  it  safe  to  some  extent  to  travel  during 
the  day,  which  we  did,  in  order  to  enable  us  to  find 
some  means  of  crossing  the  river.  We  con- 
tinued walking  westward  along  the  south  bank  of 
the  stream  for  some  distance,  when  open  woods 
were  entered  and  we  discovered  a  man  riding 
along  in  a  buggy.  I  remember  we  made  a  num- 
ber of  remarks  about  him.  Herrick  made  some 
which  were  rather  comical,  but  we  were  very  uncom- 
fortable all  this  time,  for  fear  we  had  been  seen  by  the 


168  IN   BATTLE,    CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

man  in  the  buggy,  and  would  be  reported.  We  soon 
struck  another  cedar  thicket,  and  also  the  river,  pass- 
ing along  the  bank  still  searching  for  some  means  by 
which  to  cross.  So  far  we  were  unsuccessful,  and  by 
this  time  had  become  nearly  discouraged  on  account 
of  not  finding  a  crossing. 

It  was  now  nearly  the  middle  of  the  day,  and  we 
were  still  passing  along  the  river,  when  suddenly  we 
met  a  colored  boy  about  ten  or  twelve  years  of  age, 
and  as  they  were  generally  our  friends  and  we  could 
trust  them,  we  made  known  to  him  our  wants.  I  asked 
him  whether  he  could  tell  us  where  we  could  cross  the 
river.  He  answered  by  saying :  "  Just  a  little  ways 
down  thar  is  a  black  man,  with  a  canoe,  playing  with 
it  in  the  river;  maybe  he  will  take  you  across."  I 
thanked  him,  and  we  passed  along  in  the  direction 
indicated  by  the  boy,  and  to  our  great  joy  saw  the 
man  in  the  canoe  near  the  shore,  and  also  saw  a 
house  not  far  away.  On  arriving  at  the  spot  I  motioned 
to  him  to  come  to  shore,  which  he  did.  I  then  asked 
him  if  he  would  take  us  across  the  river  in  his  boat. 
He  answered  in  the  affirmative.  I  said  to  him,  "  I  will 
pay  you  if  you  will  hurry  and  take  us  across."  All 
this  time  we  felt  very  uneasy  because  we  feared  that 
we  might  be  seen  by  some  one  who  would  report  us  to 
the  Confederates  and  cause  our  capture.  All  the  money 


IN    BATTLE,    CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65  169 

that  I  possessed  was  a  Confederate  dollar  bill,  which 
was  worth  about  ten  cents  in  U.  S.  money;  having 
used  my  two  dollar  greenback  to  purchase  bread.  I 
drew  it  from  my  pocket,  opened  it  out  and  presented 
it  to  the  man,  saying:  "I  will  give  you  this  if  you 
will  hurry  and  take  us  across  the  river."  He  took 
the  money  and  said,  "  All  right,  jump  in." 

We  got  in  the  boat  and  he  soon  landed  us  on  the 
north  bank  of  the  river  in  safety.  Dan  River  where  we 
crossed  is  about  forty  or  fifty  rods  wide.  As  we  were 
getting  out  of  the  boat  and  looking  back  across  the 
river  to  the  place  where  the  boat  was  entered,  we  saw 
six  or  eight  persons  standing  on  the  bank  of  the  river, 
looking  in  our  direction.  This  caused  quite  an  excite- 
ment in  our  camp,  and  we  immediately  issued  marching 
orders  and  started  for  the  woods,  which  were  a  short 
distance  away.  After  reaching  the  cover  of  the  woods 
a  council  of  war  was  held  to  decide  what  was  best  to 
do  under  the  circumstances  as  things  appeared  to  us 
rather  perilous 

It  was  decided  that  we  must  have  been  seen  by  the 
group  of  people,  who  we  thought  might  report  us  to 
the  Confederate  authorities.  It  was  uncertain  whether 
the  persons  we  saw  were  black  or  white.  Now  that 
the  woods  had  been  reached  we  started  on  the  run, 
in  order  that  we  might  get  as  far  away  as  possible  in 


170  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6 1 -'65 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65  171 

a  short  time  and  find  a  safe  place  to  secrete  ourselves 
until  night.  We  arrived  at  a  deep  ravine,  where  a 
small  stream  of  water  was  discovered,  which  appeared 
to  come  from  a  spring,  and  we  thought  this  a  good  hid- 
ing place.  We  sat  down  to  rest,  which  was  badly 
needed,  as  we  were  weak  and  exhausted,  and  proceed- 
ed to  eat  some  of  the  luxuries  from  our  haversacks. 
After  eating  we  talked  of  the  prospects  before  us, 
which  were  not  very  encouraging.  We  sat  there  on 
the  cold,  damp  ground,  not  in  a  cheerful  mood  but  the 
opposite,  tired,  unnerved,  and  in  a  deplorable  condi- 
tion. Late  in  the  afternoon  we  began  to  look  about 
us  in  order  to  ascertain  the  condition  of  the  surround- 
ing country  before  dark.  About  sunset  we  started 
out  on  our  night's  journey,  in  a  northwesterly  direc- 
tion as  near  as  we  could  tell,  being  guided  by  the  stars 
when  they  were  visible.  We  journeyed  on  over  hills 
and  dales,  rocks,  swamps  and  small  streams,  keeping 
as  quiet  as  possible,  speaking  only  in  whispers,  some- 
times traveling  in  the  road  a  short  distance  when  it 
was  thought  safe  to  do  so.  Then  again  over  fields, 
hills  and  the  usual  difficulties,  being  careful  to  avoid 
going  near  houses,  which  would  arouse  the  dogs, 
which  were  quite  numerous  in  that  rough  country. 
Sometimes  we  were  very  much  discouraged,  being  in 
an  enemy's  country,  in  the  dead  of  night,  in  the  winter 


172  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

season,  weakened  by  sickness  and  nearly  exhausted, 
stumbling  over  stones,  rough  ground  and  through 
brush  and  briers,  not  knowing  what  the  next  moment 
would  bring  forth.  We  might  be  attacked  by  a  pack 
of  dogs,  and  our  whereabouts  made  known  to  the 
enemy,  to  be  found  in  all  parts  of  this  country. 

It  was  now  nearing  the  time  of  night  to  begin  to 
look  about  us  for  a  place  to  secrete  ourselves,  for  sleep 
and  rest.  This  time,  was  as  stated  before,  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  night.  We  found  a  good  place  in  a  thicket 
in  the  woods,  where  we  made  our  bed,  retired  as  usual, 
and  slept  until  sometime  the  following  day,  Jan.  25. 
After  finding  some  water  we  made  our  toilets  and 
proceeded  to  eat  some  breakfast,  which  was  rather 
thin,  as  our  commissary  stores  were  getting  low.  We 
had  just  about  enough  in  our  haversacks  for  breakfast. 
This  was  the  last  of  our  provisions  which  I  had  re- 
ceived from  my  brother.  After  eating  breakfast  the 
remainder  of  the  day  was  spent  in  resting,  talking  and 
planning  for  the  following  night.  It  was  now  necessary 
to  contrive  some  plan  to  replenish  our  stock  of  pro- 
visions. Sometime  before  dark  we  started  to  spy  out 
the  country,  cautiously  moving  along  the  edge  of  the 
woods,  looking  for  slave  cabins,  as  we  were  afraid  to 
approach  white  people  for  fear  of  being  captured. 
Just  as  darkness  began  to  appear  we  saw  in  the  edge 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6 1 -'65  173 

of  a  small  field  a  one-story  log  cabin,  which  afterward 
proved  to  be  a  slave  cabin.  We  stopped  at  the  edge 
of  the  woods  to  investigate,  after  which  Herrick  said 
to  me :  "  Eby,  if  you  will  go  to  the  cabin  I  will  stay 
here  and  hold  the  fort  until  you  return."  I  started, 
feeling  a  little  timid  as  it  was  not  quite  dark,  and  I 
feared  discovery  by  some  one  who  might  be  the  cause 
of  our  being  taken  in. 

When  arriving  at  the  cabin  I  was  met  at  the  door  by 
an  aged  colored  man.  I  told  him  wjjo^  we  were  and 
that  we  would  like  to  get  something  to  eat ;  would  like 
to  procure  enough  to  supply  us  for  several  -days  if 
convenient.  He  informed  me  that  they  had  but  very 
little  cooked  or  baked  as  their  family  was  small  (only 
himself  and  wife)  but  if  we  would  wait  long  enough 
they  would  bake  a  corn  pone  for  us.  I  said,  "All  right, 
you  will  find  us  at  the  gate  posts,"  and  returned  to  my 
comrade  at  the  edge  of  the  woods  where  the  gate  posts 
mentioned  were  in  position.  But  we  did  not  remain 
there  as  I  said  we  would,  but  hid  in  the  brush  a  num- 
ber of  rods  away  for  the  purpose  of  deceiving  him  in 
case  it  would  have  been  made  known  to  the  enemy 
that  we  were  hid  at  the  posts.  We  could  easily  have 
been  found,  but  being  hid  in  the  brush  we  would  have 
had  a  chance  to  escape.  We  waited  several  hours  for 
the  return  of  our  colored  man  and  finally  heard  the 


174  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

footsteps  of  one  person  walking  in  the  direction  of  the 
gate  posts.  The  noise  he  made  in  walking  over  the 
dry  leaves  enabled  us  to  tell  whether  there  was  one 
or  more  persons.  When  near  the  posts  he  stopped. 
We  were  then  satisfied  that  it  was  our  colored  friend, 
bringing  us  something  to  eat.  We  made  our  where- 
abouts known  to  him  and  he  soon  came  to  us,  bringing 
a  good  supply  of  food,  consisting  of  one  of  the  largest 
corn  pones  that  I  ever  saw  and  a  quantity  of  cooked 
meat.  The  nice  large  pone  was  yet  warm  and  its  odor 
was  delicious  to  a  hungry  man.  It  appeared  to  me  as 
large  ars  a  full  moon.  The  pone  and  meat  supplied 
us  with  food  for  several  days.  We  were  very  grateful 
to  our  colored  friend  and  thanked  him  over  and  over. 
He  then  returned  to  his  cabin  and  we  proceeded  to 
refresh  ourselves  with  some  food.  We  broke  our  fine 
large  corn  pone,  and  ate  our  suppers  from  it,  after 
which  we  felt  much  revived. 

The  next  thing  in  order  was  to  prepare  for  our 
night's  march.  We  were  obliged  to  break  our  corn 
pone  in  several  pieces  in  order  to  get  it  in  our  haver- 
sacks. After  packing  up  the  remains  of  our  victuals 
we  started  on  our  fourth  night's  trip,  which  was  quite 
exciting.  As  usual  we  walked  on  in  the  darkness, 
feeling  our  way  cautiously  and  quietly  along,  not 
speaking  above  a  whisper  for  fear  of  being  heard  by 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65  175 

people  or  dogs  who  might  get  on  our  trail.  As  I 
stated  before,  we  were  guided  by  the  stars  when  they 
were  visible.  Our  aim  was  to  travel  in  a  northwest 
direction  from  the  prison  because  we  knew  that  the 
outpost  pickets  of  the  Union  lines  were  located  in  that 
direction.  We  were  now  walking  upon  what  appeared 
to  be  a  wagon  road  and  in  a  westerly  direction. 

This  part  of  the  country  seemed  to  be  a  small  valley, 
and  was  quite  level.  "About  eight  or  nine  o'clock  in 
the  evening  we  saw  a  house  ahead  of  us  at  some 
distance,  on  the  left-hand  side  of  the  road.  The  night 
was  not  very  dark  so  that  we  were  able  to  see  quite  a 
distance.  Before  reaching  it  a  small  building  was  dis- 
covered, made  of  logs,  on  the  right-hand  side  of  the 
road,  perhaps  ten  or  fifteen  rods  from  the  house,  and 
even  with  the  road  fence,  having  a  door  which  opened 
into  the  road.  As  we  afterward  discovered,  this  proved 
to  be  a  one-story,  log  horse-stable.  When  arriving 
within  a  short  distance  of  it  we  saw  a  man  enter  the 
door  with  a  lighted  lantern  in  his  hand.  After  he 
passed  to  the  inner  part  of  the  stable  we  could  see  the 
light  shining  between  the  logs.  I  was  of  the  opinion 
that  the  man  with  the  lantern  was  a  colored  man,  as 
he  appeared  so  to  me.  I  said,  "  Herrick,  I  am  going  to 
get  some  information  from  that  darkey."  We  walked 
on,  and  arriving  at  the  stable  I  stepped  up  into  the 


176  IN    BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$ 

doorway  and  was  suddenly  surprised  by  seeing  a  white 
man,  dressed  in  a  Confederate  uniform,  going  in  be- 
tween some  horses  to  feed  them,  as  it  appeared  to  me. 
It  immediately  flashed  through  my  mind  that  this  was 
a  quartet  of  Confederate  cavalry,  in  search  of  escaping 
prisoners,  who  had  put  up  there  for  the  night.  I  asked 
no  questions  but  quietly  stepped  out  of  the  door, 
motioned  to  Herrick  to  come  on,  and  we  lit  out  for 
other  parts  as  lively  as  we  could.  After  going  a  safe 
distance  from  the  stable  we  stopped  and  congratulated 
ourselves  upon  our  narrow  escape  from  being  cap- 
tured. It  was  supposed  that  we  had  not  been  seen  by 
the  man  in  the  stable  but  we  were  not  certain. 

After  quieting  down  to  a  normal  condition,  and 
deciding  what  course  to  pursue,  our  journey  for  free- 
dom was  resumed,  going  in  the  usual  direction.  We 
left  the  road  again,  as  it  was  feared  that  we  might  be 
overtaken  if  remaining  on  it.  Therefore  we  struck  out 
for  the  woods  and  hills  where  we  considered  it  more 
safe.  Our  progress  was  slow  as  I  have  stated  before. 
The  greater  part  of  our  journey  was  over  a  rough 
country,  and  we  found  it  discouraging  to  travel. 

We  pressed  forward  through  the  woods  and  brush 
as  rapidly  as  possible,  which  I  guarantee  was  not  at 
a  high  speed,  until  nearly  tired  out,  when  we  were 
obliged  to  rest  in  order  to  be  able  to  go  on  again.  After 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65  177 

being  rested  sufficiently  to  be  able  to  move  on,  we 
took  fresh  courage,  thinking  that  we  might  as  well 
perish  in  trying  to  make  our  way  to  the  Union  lines 
as  to  be  recaptured  and  taken  back  to  the  prisons  to 
die.  We  were  hungry  to  see  the  good  old  Stars  and 
Stripes  once  more,  knowing  that  -if  the  protection  of 
"  Old  Glory  "  could  be  reached  we  would  be  all  right. 
Therefore  we  risked  much  to  gain  its  friendly  cover. 
Wherever  "  Old  Glory  "  floats  in  air  people  look  for 
righteous  protection,  and  therefore  every  citizen  should 
assist  in  keeping  it  waving. 

During  the  night  we  became  partially  lost  in  the 
dense  woods,  being  bewildered  in  regard  to  the  com- 
pass so  we  could  not  tell  north  from  south.  It  seemed 
that  Fate  was  against  us.  Herrick  was  not  very  well, 
and  complained  bitterly,  which  had  a  tendency  to  dis- 
courage me,  but  I  tried  to  keep  up  my  spirits,  and 
trusted  in  a  Higher  Power.  The  woods  were  dense 
and  dismal.  Nothing  could  be  heard  but  the  barking 
of  dogs  in  the  distance  and  the  whoo-whoo  of  some 
of  those  large  hoot  owls  up  in  the  tops  of  the  tall 
trees,  which  made  the  night  seem  yet  more  hideous. 
As  to  the  dogs  we  feared  them,  because  they  were 
liable  to  get  on  our  trail. 

When  I  heard  the  owls  I  was  reminded  of  a  story 
which  I  had  heard  about  an  old  maid  who  went  out 


178  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

into  the  woods  to  pray  to  the  Lord  to  send  her  a 
husband,  and  while  praying  one  of  those  large  owls 
in  a  tree  near  by  began  his  whoo-whoo.  She,  think- 
ing this  an  answer,  replied,  "  Anybody,  good  Lord." 

We  could  not  tell  which  way  to  go  on  account  of 
having  lost  the  right  course,  but  did  not  give  up  in 
despair,  and  concluding  to  camp  for  the  night,  made 
our  bed  in  the  leaves  and  were  soon  asleep,  as  we 
were  very  sleepy  and  tired.  Jan.  26  we  awoke,  and 
to  our  surprise  found  that  about  an  inch  of  snow  had 
fallen  while  we  were  asleep.  We  were  covered  over 
with  a  blanket,  face  and  all,  and  therefore  the  snow 
did  not  interfere  with  our  sleep.  As  usual  we  looked 
about  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  in  regard  to  our 
safety.  Finding  ourselves  fairly  well  hid,  we  pre- 
pared for  breakfast,  which  did  not  require  a  large 
amount  of  labor.  We  could  not  make  very  elaborate 
toilets,  as  we  had  no  water,  and  did  not  think  it  safe 
to  venture  far  away  in  search  of  it  in  the  daytime. 
On  opening  our  cupboard,  or  as  I  should  say,  haver- 
sacks, we  found  quite  a  large  supply  of  the  provisions 
which  had  been  furnished  us  by  the  old  colored  man 
a  day  or  so  previous,  and  for  which  we  were  extremely 
thankful. 

Our  breakfast  was  soon  prepared  and  eaten,  and 
then  came  a  lonesome  day  for  us.  We  dare  not  move 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$  179 

about  for  fear  of  being  seen,  and  therefore  were  obligeu 
to  sit  on  the  wet  ground  and  shiver  with  cold  until 
near  night,  when  we  began  to  look  about  us  in  order 
to  procure  information  in  regard  to  the  surrounding 
country.  We  heard  some  one  chopping  in  the  woods 
a  short  distance  from  us,  and  we  concluded  to  crawl 
near  enough  to  him  to  ascertain  whether  he  was  white 
or  black.  We  found  him  to  be  a  slave,  and  very 
friendly  toward  us,  and  he  gave  us  some  information 
in  regard  to  the  surrounding  country.  After  talking 
with  him  for  some  time,  we  returned  to  our  hiding 
place.  During  the  day  the  snow  had  melted.  After 
eating  our  suppers  we  prepared  to  move  on.  It  was 
now  after  sunset  and  we  started  out,  encountering 
the  usual  obstacles  on  the  way.  We  traveled  on  for 
an  hour  or  two  and  then  came  in  sight  of  a  number 
of  lights  twinkling  in  the  darkness,  and  only  a  short 
distance  ahead  of  us.  This  we  afterward  learned  was 
a  small  town  named  Henry.  We  immediately  changed 
-our  course  to  the  right,  flanked  the  town,  and  passed 
it  without  being  discovered.  We  soon  struck  a  road 
leading  in  the  direction  we  wanted  to  go,  and  followed 
it  for  some  distance,  when  we  found  it  quite  narrow, 
and  fenced  with  an  old  fashioned  worrn  rail  fence 
about  eight  or  ten  rails  high. 

While  walking  along  in  this  lane  for  a  short  distance 


180  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$ 

we  heard  a  gunshot,  perhaps  forty  or  fifty  rods  from  us. 
We  stopped  and  listened,  and  a  few  seconds  later  we 
heard  a  horse  galloping  toward  us  apparently  as  fast 
as  it  could  come,  and  in  a  second  all  was  excitement 
with  us.  Something  had  to  be  done  immediately  or 
there  would  be  trouble.  Herrick  said,  "  Let  us  get 
inside  the  fence  as  quickly  as  possible."  We  scram- 
bled over  the  fence,  and  dropped  down  on  the  ground 
as  flat  as  a  pancake,  and  in  a  second  a  horse  with  a 
man  upon  it  galloped  past  within  ten  or  twelve  feet 
of  where  we  lay.  We  did  not  know  what  it  meant, 
but  supposed  the  gunshot  was  a  signal  among  the 
Confederate  home  guards  that  we  had  been  seen  by 
some  one,  who  gave  the  alarm  by  discharging  the  gun, 
and  thought  he  would  catch  us  in  this  lane  by  com- 
ing upon  us  so  suddenly  that  we  would  be  unable  to 
escape. 

After  the  horseman  had  gone  past  us  a  short  distance 
he  stopped,  and  we  could  hear  several  persons  talk- 
ing, while  Herrick  and  I  were  shivering  with  excite- 
ment behind  the  fence,  hugging  the  earth  as  we  never 
did  before.  If  their  object  was  to  capture  us  here 
they  failed,  but  if  we  had  remained  in  the  road  a  few 
seconds  longer  our  goose  would  probably  have  been 
cooked.  We  lingered  inside  of  the  fence  for  a  short 
time,  and  kept  very  quiet,  and  again  heard  some  per- 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65  181 

sons  talking  not  very  far  away.  Later  in  the  night, 
everything  being  quiet,  we  crawled  out  of  our  hiding 
place  and  prepared  to  move  on,  but  were  very  cau- 
tious and  struck  out  for  the  woods,  groping  onward 
through  a  strange  land,  with  the  usual  difficulties.  We 
journeyed  on  during  the  balance  of  the  night  with- 
out anything  of  an  excitable  nature  transpiring  ex- 
cept the  barking  of  dogs,  which  caused  us  a  little 
uneasiness  at  times. 

Just  a  short  time  before  looking  up  a  place  in  which 
to  hide  and  sleep,  we  passed  down  into  and  through 
a  small  valley  and  up  a  steep  hill  or  mountain,  on  the 
opposite  side  on  which  we  found  a  good  place  to  hide 
and  make  our  bed  and  sleep  during  the  morning.  We 
retired  and  soon  were  asleep.  This  was  now  Jan.  27, 
and  some  time  during  the  forenoon  we  were  awak- 
ened by  hearing  some  one  talking  near  by.  We  got 
up  and  began  an  investigation.  We  found  ourselves 
on  the  summit  of  a  small  mountain,  in  a  good  hiding 
place,  and  near  a  small  precipice.  I  crawled  near  the 
edge  of  it  and  looked  down  into  the  valley  below  and 
saw  a  man  doing  some  kind  of  work  with  a  team.  He 
was  only  a  short  distance  away  but  could  not  very 
well  see  us.  Herrick  and  myself  sat  and  watched  him 
for  a  short  time,  and  having  now  become  quite  hungry 
proceeded  to  investigate  our  store  of  provisions.  We 


182  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$ 

found  some  of  the  corn  pone  and  ate  our  breakfast 
from  it.  After  completing  our  meal  we  found  that 
our  commissary  stores  were  getting  low  or  nearly 
exhausted,  and  before  we  could  eat  another  meal  we 
would  be  obliged  to  do  some  foraging.  The  balance 
of  the  day  was  spent  in  our  hiding  place  on  the  moun- 
tain. 

Shortly  before  dark  we  investigated  the  surround- 
ings, as  usual,  and  prepared  to  start  out  on  our  night's 
march,  but  thought  we  would  like  some  supper  first. 
On  reflecting  we  remembered  that  our  haversacks 
were  about  empty.  We  went  without  supper  for  the 
same  reason  that  Jack  did.  The  problem  now  was 
how  to  procure  some  more  provisions.  Herrick  not 
being  very  well  proposed  going  to  a  house  to  get  a 
warm  meal,  to  which  I  strenuously  objected,  fearing 
that  we  would  be  discovered  by  the  enemy.  We  final- 
ly started  out  on  our  night's  trip  without  any  supper, 
thinking  that  perhaps  we  might  find  some  slaves  who 
would  supply  us  with  something  to  eat.  This  being 
a  mountainous  country  there  were  but  few  colored 
people  to  be  found,  and  this  fact  compelled  me  finally 
to  consent  to  Herrick's  plan  of  going  to  a  house  to 
procure  a  warm  meal. 

We  were  now  moving  along  through  the  woods 
on  a  sort  of  road,  and  it  was  about  seven  or  eight 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65  183 

o'clock  in  the  evening.  Hunger  began  to  pinch  us 
severely,  and  we  had  not  gone  very  far  when  a  light 
was  discovered  some  distance  ahead  of  us,  apparent- 
ly in  a  house.  We  continued  to  move  on  toward  the 
light,  and  when  near  enough  began  to  investigate  the 
surroundings.  We  found  it  to  be  a  one-story  log 
house,  located  close  to  the  road  and  nearly  surrounded 
by  thick  woods.  It  being  well  lighted,  we  could  see 
that  it  was  occupied  by  white  people.  We  now  held 
a  council  of  war  for  the  purpose  of  determining  how 
to  procure  something  to  eat.  Herrick  proposed  hav- 
ing a  warm  meal  if  they  could  be  persuaded  to  pre- 
pare us  one,  and  to  this  I  finally  consented.  We  then 
approached  the  house,  knocked  at  the  door,  and  the 
man  of  the  house  came  out  and  our  wants  were  made 
known  to  him.  He  objected  at  first  to  our  request, 
saying  he  feared  it  would  become  known  to  the  Con- 
federate authorities  that  he  had  fed  us  and  they  would 
deal  harshly  with  him.  He  finally  consented  to  our 
request,  and  his  folks  prepared  a  good  supper  for  us. 
When  the  meal  was  ready  he  called  us  in  and  said, 
"  Please  get  through  supper  as  soon  as  possible.  There 
is  danger  of  you  being  seen  here  by  outside  parties 
who  might  report  you  to  the  Confederate  authorities, 
and  thereby  get  us  and  yourselves  also  into  trouble." 
We  sat  down  and  ate  a  very  hearty  meal,  thanked 


184  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-6$ 

them  kindly,  and  passed  out.  The  host  went  out  with 
us,  and  accompanied  us  on  our  journey  quite  a  dis- 
tance, giving  us  information  about  the  surrounding 
country.  When  he  left  us  we  again  thanked  him, 
and  journeyed  on  in  the  usual  direction,  being  satis- 
fied that  we  had  met  with  a  Union  man  because  he 
had  treated  us  so  kindly.  Of  course  people  were 
afraid  to  feed  us,  because  there  had  been  what  were 
called  "  bogus  Yankees "  through  that  part  of  the 
country.  A  "  bogus  Yankee "  was  a  Confederate, 
dressed  in  a  Federal  uniform,  pretending  to  be  an 
-  escaping  Union  prisoner  of  war,  and  he  would  come 
to  these  people  throughout  the  country  for  the  pur- 
pose of  ascertaining  whether  they  would  harbor  and 
feed  escaping  prisoners,  and  if  they  were  found  guilty 
would  have  them  arrested  and  confined  in  prison.  We 
traveled  in  the  road  as  long  as  we  deemed  it  safe  to 
do  so,  and  then  struck  out  through  the  woods,  en- 
countering the  usual  difficulties. 

We  were  very  much  refreshed  by  the  good  meal 
we  had  eaten  in  the  evening,  and  were  able  to  make 
good  progress.  Nothing  transpired  during  the  night 
to  cause  any  special  excitement  only  the  occasional 
barking  of  dogs.  Some  of  them  had  a  peculiar  bark, 
which  sounded  like  those  large  bloodhounds  which 
were  used  in  the  South  for  the  purpose  of  catching 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6 1 -'65  185 

runaway  slaves  and  escaping  prisoners  of  war,  and 
caused  us  some  uneasiness.  We  moved  on  until  our 
usual  hour  for  retiring,  and  then  found  a  place  which 
was  deemed  secure,  where  we  made  our  bed  and  re- 
tired as  usual. 

We  awoke  some  time  during  the  following  day, 
this  being  Jan.  28,  and  wanted  to  eat  our  breakfast, 
but  had  none,  and  dare  not  venture  out  in  search  of 
food  in  daytime  for  fear  of  being  taken  in.  We  saw 
some  chestnut  trees  near  by  in  the  woods,  and  went 
to  them,  hoping  to  find  a  few  nuts  among  the  leaves 
to  appease  our  hunger  to  some  extent,  but  our  search 
was  in  vain.  A  house  was  discovered  at  a  distance, 
out  in  the  open  country,  but  we  were  afraid  to  venture 
to  it.  We  remained  the  balance  of  the  day  in  our 
hiding  place,  and  as  early  as  we  thought  it  safe  to 
do  so  started  on  our  night's  journey.  The  weather  was 
quite  clear  and  pleasant,  but  things  were  not  so  pleas- 
ant with  us,  as  we  had  been  without  food  during  the 
past  twenty-four  hours,  and  had  no  prospect  of  pro- 
curing any  provisions  during  the  evening.  Our  jour- 
ney was  through  a  broken  country,  where  the  op- 
portunity of  procuring  food  was  limited,  but  we  still 
moved  forward,  thinking  that  we  might  come  across 
some  colored  people  who  would  supply  us.  It  seemed 
that  luck  was  against  us.  We  had  spent  a  good  part 


186  IX   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

of  the  night,  walked  a  long-  distance,  and  were  get- 
ting very  weak  from  hunger,  and  walking  became 
burdensome  for  us,  especially  while  passing  through 
such  a  maze  of  tangled  underbrush. 

The  night  was  now  nearly  spent  and  we  stopped 
to  consider  what  was  best  to  do  and  concluded  as  we 
were  so  nearly  worn  out  it  was  best  to  select  a  rest- 
ing place  and  make  our  bed.  We  found  a  place  in 
the  woods  beside  a  large  log,  and  as  we  supposed  a 
good  hiding  place.  We  prepared  our  bed  and  went  to 
sleep  as  usual,  as  we  were  so  extremely  tired  from 
our  long  journey.  We  slept  very  soundly  until  about 
sunrise,  when  I  was  awakened  by  a  clattering  noise 
and  some  one  talking.  I  carefully  raised  my  head 
high  enough  to  enable  me  to  look  over  the  top  of  the 
log,  and  to  my  horror  saw  four  Confederate  cavalry- 
men riding  past  within  six  or  eight  rods  of  us. 

I  carefully  awakened  Herrick  and  told  him  what  I 
had  seen.  Then  he  also  peeped  over  the  log  and  saw 
the  Confederates  as  they  were  disappearing.  We  kept 
quiet,  though  much  excited  over  our  situation,  and 
remained  here  for  a  short  time. 

We  had  now  fasted  for  about  thirty-six  or  forty 
hours,  and  felt  as  though  we  could  stand  it  no  longer 
without  food,  and  would  be  obliged  to  procure  some 
in  some  manner.  We  crawled  out  of  our  hiding  place 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS, 


187 


188  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

and  cautiously  moved  through  the  woods  in  search 
of  a  house  where  something  to  eat  might  be  secured. 
After  walking  a  short  distance  we  saw  an  open  field 
to  the  eastward  from  us,  and  also  a  house  near  the 
edge  of  the  woods,  which  was  found  to  be  a  two-story 
dwelling  of  fair  size.  It  appeared  to  us  to  be  occupied 
by  white  people.  Starvation  will  compel  a  person  to 
risk  almost  anything  for  the  purpose  of  procuring 
food.  We  decided  to  go  to  the  house  and  ascertain 
the  prospect  of  getting  something,  as  we  could  not  fast 
much  longer. 


CHAPTER  XII. 
Our  Recapture  and  Return  to  Prison. 

On  Jan.  29,  1864,  early  in  the  forenoon,  we  went  to 
the  house  described  in  the  former  chapter.  It  was 
a  bright,  sunshiny  morning,  and  walking  around  to  the 
east  door  of  the  house  (which  appeared  to  be  the  one 
most  used  by  the  family),  I  knocked  and  the  pro- 
prietor opened  the  door.  I  made  known  to  him  our 
wants,  and  he  replied,  saying  "  We  will  give  you 
something  to  eat,"  and  invited  us  in.  The  door  opened 
to  my  left  as  I  passed  in.  I  looked  in  that  direction,  and' 
to  my  horror  saw  two  Confederate  soldiers  sitting 
in  that  end  of  the  room,  one  of  whom  afterward  told 
me  that  he  was  a  captain,  and  they  had  their  side 
arms  with  them.  As  soon  as  we  were  fairly  inside 
the  room  they  smiled,  and  one  of  them  said :  "  Boys, 
I  guess  you  are  our  prisoners,  as  it  is  our  duty  to 
hold  you  as  such." 

We  failed  to  return  the  smile  which  on  our  part  was 
not  very  polite,  but  under  the  circumstances  I  think 
we  were  excusable.  You  can  imagine  the  state  of  our 
minds  just  at  that  moment.  I  felt  like  sinking  through 


190  IN    BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-' 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65  191 

the  floor  into  the  earth  and  out  of  sight,  and  of  course 
poor  Herrick  felt  likewise.  After  risking  our  lives 
in  escaping  from  the  guards,  and  facing  the  dangers 
of  passing  through  an  enemy's  country  until  within 
thirty-five  miles  of  the  Union  lines,  and  then  to  fall 
into  a  trap  like  that,  was  almost  too  much  to  endure. 
But  what  could  we  do?  We  were  obliged  to  submit, 
and  there  was  no  use  arguing  the  case  with  them. 

After  the  excitement  abated,  the  women  folks  pre- 
pared breakfast  for  us.  As  soon  as  it  was  ready  we 
were  asked  to  take  seats  at  the  table.  Before  doing 
so  the  host  looked  at  us  and  said :  "  Boys,  you  look 
poorly,"  seeming  to  sympathize  with  us.  He  handed 
us  a  bottle  of  peach  brandy,  saying,  "  This  will  be 
good  medicine  for  you  in  your  weakened  condition." 
We  each  took  a  few  swallows,  and  it  did  seem  to 
stimulate  us  for  the  time  being.  While  eating  break- 
fast we  had  quite  a  chat  with  the  men  folks,  and  found 
them  to  be  gentlemen,  and  they  used  us  as  well  as  we 
could  have  been  used  among  our  own  people.  We 
were  kept  here  until  the  arrival  of  some  new  guards, 
whom  they  had  sent  for.  When  dinner  time  came  we 
were  invited  to  take  dinner  with  the  family,  and 
strange  to  say  we  did  not  refuse.  During  the  fore- 
noon we  men  folks  went  out  to  the  east  side  of  the 
house,  where  it  was  quite  comfortable.  The  host 


192  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$ 

asked  whether  we  would  like  to  crack  some  walnuts. 
I  replied  in  the  affirmative  (of  course  we  would  not 
refuse  anything  that  could  be  masticated,  and  would 
assist  in  filling  us  up),  and  we  sat  down  on  a  log  to- 
gether and  cracked  and  ate  walnuts.  While  engaged 
in  this  I  happened  to  be  sitting  beside  the  host,  the 
guards  being  a  short  distance  away.  We  became  en- 
gaged in  conversation  in  regard  to  secession,  during 
which  he  frankly  remarked  to  me  that  the  State  of 
Virginia  did  not  secede  by  the  voice  of  the  people,  but 
was  forced  out  by  the  intrigue  of  State  officials.  I 
believed  him  to  be  a  loyal  man  at  heart.  He  did  not 
tell  me  so  but  his  actions  and  conversation  proved  it. 
The  new  guard  arrived  about  the  middle  of  the  after- 
noon and  we  were  soon  on  our  way  toward  Rocky 
Mount,  where  we  were  placed  behind  the  bars  of  a 
county  jail.  We  had  not  traveled  very  far  before  night 
overtook  us,  and  we  lodged  at  a  farmhouse  that  night, 
where  they  had  an  immensely  large  dog  which  was 
supposed  to  be  a  bloodhound.  They  cautioned  us  in 
regard  to  it,  saying,  "  Do  not  venture  outside  the 
house  after  night  as  you  would  be  in  danger  of  being 
attacked  by  the  dog."  A  bed  was  prepared  for  us, 
and  we  retired  soon  after  supper.  The  guard  also 
slept  in  the  house.  Herrick  and  myself  talked  over 
the  possibilities  of  making  our  escape  from  that  place, 


IN    BATTLE,    CAMP   AND   PRISONS,    '6l-6$  193 

but  finally  concluded  that  it  would  be  futile  to  at- 
tempt it  on  account  of  our  weakened  condition,  the 
danger  of  being  attacked  by  the  large  dog  and  the 
house  being  secured  and  locked. 

We  rested  quite  well  until  morning,  Jan.  30.  We 
were  given  breakfast  and  the  guard  was  soon  ready 
to  conduct  us  on  our  way  to  Rocky  Mount,  arriving 
there  during  the  day.  On  our  journey  toward  that 
place  we  stopped  at  a  farmhouse  for  the  purpose  of 
procuring  a  drink  of  water.  The  man  of  the  house 
came  out,  being  a  man  of  perhaps  sixty  years  of  age, 
and  on  learning  who  we  were  appeared  to  be  terribly 
enraged.  He  called  us  all  sorts  of  new  names  not  to 
be  found  in  a  dictionary,  and  I  well  remember  one 
thing  he  said :  "  You  killed  my  son  and  you  ought  to 
be  killed."  He  had  a  son  in  the  Confederate  army  who 
had  been  killed  in  battle,  and  seemed  to  blame  us  for 
it.  The  guard  looked  at  us  and  smiled,  as  much  as 
to  say,  "  The  old  fool,  let  him  talk."  He  appeared  as 
though  he  would  like  to  give  us  a  good  dressing  down, 
as  he  shook  his  fist  at  us  repeatedly,  but  I  was  not 
alarmed ;  we  had  seen  things  more  dangerous  than  a 
man's  fist.  We  arrived  at  the  jail  Jan.  30,  and  were 
placed  in  a  room  in  company  with  two  deserters  from 
the  rebel  army.  Apparently  we  were  the  only  inmates 
of  the  jail  except  an  insane  man,  who  was  confined  in 


194  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

another  room.  As  the  saying  is,  we  were  now  "  be- 
hind the  iron  bars." 

I  had  now  been  a  tramp,  begging  for  something  to 
eat,  and  also  a  prisoner  behind  the  bars  of  a  county 
jail.  This  would  have  been  disgraceful  if  I  had  been 
myself  to  blame,  but  under  the  circumstances  I  did 
not  feel  guilty.  We  were  confined  in  this  jail  four  days 
and  nights,  and  our  treatment  here  was  at  least  fifty 
per  cent  better  than  in  the  military  prison  pens,  and 
we  therefore  voted  unanimously  in  favor  of  remaining 
here,  but  were  counted  out. 

February  4,  in  company  with  the  two  deserters,  we 
were  conducted  to  the  railroad  station  some  distance 
away,  and  were  put  on  board  the  cars  (cars  having 
seats),  and  permitted  to  sit  down  during  the  journey. 
We  were  soon  on  our  way,  as  they  told  us,  toward  the 
prisons  in  Richmond.  This  news  had  a  very  depress- 
ing effect  upon  us.  The  train  moved  on  in  a  north- 
easterly direction,  arriving  at  Lynchburg,  Va.,  in  the 
evening,  nothing  of  importance  transpiring  on  the  way. 
We  were  placed  in  the  guardhouse,  where  the  night 
and  the  following  day  were  spent.  While  here  we 
discovered  that  the  place  was  infested  with  some  of 
our  former  prison  companions,  the  graybacks,  and  as  a 
consequence,  during  the  night  our  clothing  became 
inhabited  with  the  insects,  which  was  to  us  quite  a 


IN    BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65  195 

torment,  as  we  had  been  clear  of  them  since  entering 
the  convalescent  camp  at  Danville.  We  were  fed  on 
very  scant  rations  at  this  place,  on  account  of  coming 
under  the  prison  discipline  again. 

We  remained  here  until  the  evening  of  Feb.  5,  and 
shortly  after  dark  were  called  out  under  a  strong 
guard,  when  we  met  a  small  number  of  other  prisoners 
bound  for  the  same  place  that  we  were.  A  line  of 
guards  surrounded  us,  and  as  we  started  for  the  train 
the  captain  of  the  guards  yelled  out :  "  Guards,  shoot 
the  first  man  who  offers  to  run."  This  expression,  of 
course,  was  uttered  to  intimidate  us  prisoners.  We 
boarded  the  train  and  were  soon  en  route  for  the  city 
of  Richmond,  riding  all  night  and  until  some  time  dur- 
ing the  day  of  Feb.  6,  when  we  arrived  in  the  city, 
and  were  soon  transferred  to  a  prison  called  the 
Pemberton  Building.  This  was  a  large,  four-story 
brick  building.  In  it  we  found  confined  a  large  num- 
ber of  Federal  prisoners.  The  Pemberton  Building 
was  located  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street  from 
Libby  Prison,  and  about  one  hundred  feet  farther  to 
the  southeast.  The  street  between  Libby  and  the 
Pemberton  Building  extended  southeast  and  north- 
west. From  the  windows  of  our  prison  we  had  a  good 
view  of  Libby  and  its  surroundings.  I  remained  in 
this  prison  six  days.  While  there,  on  the  night  of 


196  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

Feb.  9,  over  one  hundred  of  the  officers  confined  in 
Libby  made  their  escape  through  a  long  tunnel,  which 
had  previously  been  made  by  them. 

This  extended  from  the  cellar  under  Libby,  through 
under  a  street  at  the  east  end  of  the  building;  its  exit 
being  under  a  one-story  wooden  shed,  on  a  vacant  lot 
just  across  the  street  from  our  prison.     The   prisoners 
came    out   of    the   tunnel    under   this    shed,    and   made 
their  escape  under  cover  of  the  darkness  of  the  night. 
The  following  morning  I  saw  quite  a  number  of  Con- 
federate   officers    and    guards    walking    about    in    the 
vicinity  of  Libby  apparently  more  or  less  excited.   We 
could  look  from  our  windows  and  see  what  was  going 
on  about  the  streets.    The  news  of  the  escape  of  the 
Federal  officers  soon  reached  our  prison,  which  caused 
no  little  excitement  among  us.    The  Confederates  still 
continued  their  search  about  Libby,  but  did  not  seem 
to  discover  the  whereabouts  of  the  tunnel  until  late 
in  the  afternoon,  when  I  saw  them  digging  a  hole  at 
the  east  end  of  the  prison.     I  supposed  they  were  in 
search  of  the  tunnel.     Nearly  one-half  of  those  who 
escaped    through    the    tunnel    were    recaptured    and 
brought  back  to  prison  the  following  day.     I  saw  a 
number  of  them  as  they  marched  back  into   Libby. 
Poor   fellows,    they   seemed    to   be   downcast,   and    I 
could  sympathize  with  them,  having  just  been  through 


IN   BATTLE.   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65  197 

a  similar  experience.  We  remained  in  the  Pemberton 
Building  until  Feb.  13,  when  we  were  transferred  to 
the  prison  pen  on  Belle  Island. 


198 


IN    BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

My  Second  Entrance  into  Belle  Island  Prison  Pen, 
Feb.  13,  1864. 

The  day  that  I  entered  the  island  the  second  time, 
Feb.  13,  a  Confederate  preacher  delivered  a  very  long 
sermon  to  us,  and  tried  to  convert  us  to  the  Southern 
Confederacy  cause,  but  with  poor  success. 

We  could  not  be  converted  to  an  institution  that 
tried  to  freeze  us  and  starve  us.  He  was  listened  to  at- 
tentively for  a  long  time  when  he  remarked  before 
closing  that  he  didn't  know  as  he  was  doing  any  good 
talking  to  us,  it  was  like  casting  pearls  before  swine, 
and  he  would  close  his  remarks.  One  of  our  boys  told 
him  that  he  might  have  stopped  long  ago  if  he  had 
wanted  to,  as  we  would  have  had  no  objections  what- 
ever. 

On  entering  the  prison  pen  on  the  island,  for  the 
second  time,  my  spirits  sank  to  zero,  for  the  prospect 
before  me  was  certainly  a  gloomy  one.  This  was  a 
low  and  barren  island,  over  which  the  cold  February 
winds  swept  from  up  and  down  the  James  River,  mak- 
ing it  very  uncomfortable  for  us,  exposed  as  we  were 
to  the  elements  of  the  weather.  I  could  now  see  a 


200  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

great  change  in  the  appearance  of  the  prisoners  since 
my  short  stay  of  six  days  here,  in  October,  1863,  and 
not  for  the  better,  but  very  much  worse.  Many  were 
nearly  destitute  of  clothing,  and  had  been  so  starved 
and  exposed  to  the  severe  weather  that  they  were  mere 
skeletons,  slowly  moving  about.  Some  of  them  were 
being  fairly  eaten  alive  by  graybacks.  From  lack  of 
proper  means  of  keeping  clean,  and  only  the  icy  river 
water  in  which  to  wash,  many  were  nearly  as  black 
as  negroes.  Some  indeed  were  too  weak  to  keep  them- 
selves clean,  and  too  discouraged  to  care.  I  was  in- 
formed that  there  were  about  8,000  of  us  on  the  island 
at  this  time,  and  a  large  number,  perhaps  several  thou- 
sand, including  Herrick  and  myself,  were  without 
shelter  of  any  kind,  although  we  were  more  fortunate 
than  some  of  them.  During  our  stay  here  we  received 
no  fuel  for  fires.  I  saw  a  few  sticks  of  wood,  which 
were  being  whittled  into  splinters  and  small  fires  made 
with  them,  around  which  hovered  the  poor,  shiver- 
ing, almost  lifeless  human  forms,  sitting  upon  the 
frozen  ground.  This  wood  being  pitch  pine,  produced 
very  black  smoke,  which  blackened  the  faces  of  the 
poor  fellows  who  tried  to  warm  over  the  little  fires 
and  caused  them  to  appear  still  more  hideous.  Those 
of  the  prisoners  who  were  without  shelter  contrived 
different  ways  to  keep  from  freezing  at  night,  while 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65  201 

trying  to  sleep.  I  slept  in  a  shallow  rounding  ditch 
in  the  ground,  in  which  I  lay  also  in  the  daytime,  when 
becoming  tired  of  walking  about,  standing  or  sitting 
on  the  frozen  ground.  This  protected  me  to  some  ex- 
tent from  the  cold,  piercing  winds  which  blew  over 
the  island,  but  it  was  very  uncomfortable  during  a 
rainstorm,  of  which  we  experienced  several  during 
our  confinement  there.  During  a  rainstorm  the  sand 
and  ground  about  me  would  become  saturated  with 
water,  and  keep  my  clothing  wet  for  days,  and  I  would 
become  so  chilled  and  numbed  that  I  would  be  scarce- 
ly able  to  get  up.  One  cold  night,  while  trying  to 
sleep,  my  toes  were  frozen  so  that  the  skin  peeled  off 
sometime  after.  While  we  were  here  in  this  condition 
the  water  in  the  river  froze  over  nearly  the  whole  of 
its  surface.  I  saw  ice  over  three  inches  in  thickness. 
A  day  seemed  to  me  as  long  as  a  month.  Rations 
were  very  small,  consisting  almost  entirely  of  unsifted 
cornmeal,  stirred  up  with  water,  and  often  without 
salt,  as  salt  was  a  scarce  article  with  the  Confederacy. 
This  was  baked  in  cakes  about  the  size  of  a  brick,  only 
about  one  and  one-half  inches  thick.  One-half  a  cake 
of  this  size  was  given  each  man  for  a  day's  ration,  and 
nothing  else  with  it,  with  the  exception  that  two  or 
three  times  while  on  the  island  we  received  beans  or 
meat.  This  was  generally  entirely  devoured  at  once, 


202  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,  *6l-'65 

leaving  nothing  for  the  other  two  meals,  and  yet  we 
lemained  nearly  as  hungry  as  before  eating.  Our 
drink  consisted  of  icy  river  water,  which  did  not  warm 
a  person  very  much,  thoroughly  chilled  as  we  were. 

Days  and  weeks  passed  slowly  on,  with  nothing  to 
cheer  us,  but  everything  to  depress  our  spirits.  Cold, 
hungry,  and  discouraged  with  the  sight  of  so  much 
misery  all  about  us,  little  wonder  that  some  lost  their 
reason.  Our  main  topic  of  conversation  was  the  com- 
forts of  home,  and  the  subject  of  something  to  eat, 
especially  as  this  was  most  forcibly  impressed  upon 
our  minds.  I  well  remember  receiving  as  a  part  of 
one  day's  rations  some  small  beans  (called  here  cow 
beans).  Some  were  red  and  others  black.  I  placed 
them  in  my  left  hand  and  counted  them,  and  found 
that  there  were  just  fifteen.  These  were  all  the  beans 
that  I  received  while  on  the  island,  and  as  I  had  no 
means  of  cooking  them  I  ate  them  raw. 

At  another  time  I  received  a  piece  of  boiled  beef, 
about  the  size  of  a  black  walnut,  which  was  all  the 
meat  I  had  to  eat  while  on  the  island.  After  a  short 
stay  in  this  place  I  began  to  fail  rapidly.  On  arising 
in  the  morning  I  would  ache  all  over,  and  could  scarce- 
ly straighten  up,  and  it  appeared  to  me  that  even  the 
marrow  in  my  bones  was  chilled.  Occasionally  I 
would  take  a  walk  down  to  the  water's  edge,  in  order 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6^  203 

to  start  circulation  and  get  a  little  warmth  into  my 
shivering  body,  in  which  I  generally  failed.  In  order 
to  get  to  the  water  we  were  obliged  to  pass  down 
through  a  narrow  lane,  fenced  on  each  side  with  a 
tight  high  board  fence,  and  plenty  of  guards  on  all 
sides.  Through  this  we  passed  to  procure  water,  and 
to  wash  our  hands  and  faces  if  we  washed  at  all.  We 
were  not  supplied  with  washbasins,  and  therefore  when 
washing  would  use  the  river  as  a  basin,  which  did  not 
improve  the  water  for  drinking  purposes,  where 
several  thousand  men  washed  within  a  space  of  30  or 
40  feet  in  length.  The  closet  was  also  located  very 
near  where  we  obtained  our  drinking  water.  This 
was  at  the  lower  end  of  the  island  where  there  was  no 
current  to  carry  away  the  filthy  water. 

Our  clothes  could  not  be  washed  because  the  weather 
was  too  cold.  We  were  in  the  same  predicament  as 
the  man  who  possessed  only  one  suit  and  was  obliged 
to  go  to  bed  while  his  garments  were  being  washed. 
But  we  were  not  so  fortunate  as  he  because  we  had  no 
beds  to  go  to  and  not  even  what  a  person  would  call 
a  suit. 

During  some  of  these  walks  I  saw  most  horrid 
sights  as  I  walked  through  the  camp.  I  remember  one 
day  of  seeing  several  boys  or  young  men  who  had  be- 
come so  weakened  and  emaciated  by  their  treatment 


204  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

here  that  they  were  unable  to  stand  erect  while  walk- 
ing but  were  obliged  to  bend  over  like  old  men  of 
eighty.  Their  clothing  on  the  outside,  under  their 
arms,  was  white  with  graybacks  and  nits,  and  as  I 
stood  looking  at  the  poor  boys  I  wondered  what  must 
be  the  condition  on  the  inside  of  their  garments.  But 
I  was  helpless  as  far  as  giving  them  relief.  They 
were  only  a  sample  of  hundreds  of  similar  cases.  As 
I  stated  in  a  previous  chapter,  we  who  were  able  would 
take  off  our  shirts,  turn  them  insjde  out,  and  kill  (be- 
tween our  only  weapons  of  defense  our  thumb-nails) 
all  ttee  graybacks  we  could  find.  During  this  opera- 
tion we  would  keep  our  coats  (when  we  possessed 
any)  closely  buttoned  around  our  shivering  bodies. 
But  many  poor  fellows  had  become  unable  to  do  even 
this  much  toward  their  own  comfort,  and  there  were 
hundreds  and  thousands  in  the  same  wretched  con- 
dition. At  other  times,  when  passing  through  the 
prison,  I  saw  squads  of  prisoners  who  were  such  ob- 
jects of  pity  that  I  am  utterly  incapable  of  describing 
them.  The  memory  of  them  will  remain  fresh  in  my 
mind  as  long  as  I  live.  Some  were  mere  skeletons, 
scarcely  able  to  move,  barefooted,  pants  worn  off  half- 
way to  their  knees,  shirt  or  coat  sleeves  worn  off  nearly 
to  the  elbow,  their  long  matted  hair  and  whiskers 
which  had  not  been  cut  for  months  hanging  over  their 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$ 

dirty,  emaciated  faces.  Add  to  this,  in  many  instances, 
perhaps  sore  and  frozen  feet.  They  were  objects 
calculated  to  enkindle  pity  in  the  heart  of  a  tyrant. 
Again,  I  saw  some  who  were  unable  to  walk,  lying  on 
the  ground  with  no  better  clothing  than  those  I  have 
just  described,  and  no  other  protection  from  the  bit- 
ter cold. 

To  these  death  soon  came  as  a  welcome  relief.  Near- 
ly every  morning  a  number  of  dead  were  carried  out 
to  some  burial  place.  All  these  scenes  did  not  have  an 
inspiring  effect  on  us.  The  craving  for  meat  had  be- 
come so  intense  that  one  day  as  Lieut.  Boisseux,  com- 
mander of  the  guards,  came  strolling  through  the  pris- 
on pen  with  his  pet  dog  following  him,  the  dog  was 
enticed  into  a  tent  by  some  of  the  prisoners.  They 
caught  him,  cut  his  throat,  dressed  him  and  prepared 
the  meat  for  cooking,  which  was  soon  done,  and  he 
was  devoured  by  the  hungry  men.  I  did  not  see  any 
of  this  transaction,  but  learned  of  it  through  other 
prisoners.  One  jday  I  met  one  of  the  prisoners  who 
possessed  a  small  brass  kettle.  He  showed  it  to  me 
and  said,  "  This  is  the  kettle  in  which  we  cooked  the 
dog."  I  wondered  where  they  could  procure  fuel 
enough  to  cook  a  dog,  as  it  was  a  very  scarce  article 
on  the  island.  The  dog  was  .probably  cooked  a  few 
days  before  my  arrival  on  the  island. 


206  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

As  the  days  passed  on,  the  suffering  from  cold  and 
hunger  increased  at  a  rapid  rate.  I  could  notice  that 
I  was  failing  and  growing  weaker  every  day,  and 
would  sometimes  almost  despair  of  ever  getting  out  of 
that  place  of  torment  alive,  but  did  not  give  up  the 
struggle  for  dear  life.  One  day  as  I  was  strolling 
through  the  prison,  to  my  great  surprise  and  delight 
I  met  two  members  of  my  own  company,  Alonzo  Fish 
and  John  Stevenson,  who  were  captured  and  brought 
to  Belle  Island  during  my  confinement  in  the  Rich- 
mond prisons.  Of  course  we  were  greatly  rejoiced, 
but  sorry  to  meet  under  such  conditions. 

The  death  rate  among  the  prisoners  was  becoming 
more  alarming,  as  it  seemed  the  stfongest  of  them 
were  succumbing  to  the  rigors  of  the  weather  and 
starvation.  The  time  was  now  near  spring  and  the 
cold  was  abating  somewhat,  but  yet  the  suffering  was 
intense,  from  different  causes.  I  never  have  read  of 
such  an  amount  of  intense  suffering  at  any  place  (ex- 
cept at  Andersonville,  Ga.)  as  I  experienced  and  saw 
here  in  this  dreadful  place.  The  only  hope  I  had  was 
that  the  weather  would  become  more  mild,  and  the 
suffering  in  that  respect  might  abate. 

It  was  now  about  March  10,  and  they  were  and  had 
been  transferring  prisoners  from  the  island  to  Ander- 
sonville, Ga.  Every  alternate  day  they  called  for  600 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$  207 

prisoners,  marched  them  out  through  the  gate  and 
across  the  bridge  near  the  iron  works  to  the  south  bank 
of  the  river,  and  generally  across  the  long  bridge  to 
the  city,  where  they  were  loaded  into  cars  and  sent 
south.  We  could  see  the  trains  passing  over  the  long 
railroad  bridge  below  the  island.  One  day  when  they 
called  as  usual  for  600,  my  chum,  William  Herrick, 
who  had  escaped  with  me  from  the  Danville  prison, 
went  out  with  them,  and  the  last  time  that  I  saw  him 
was  when  they  marched  along  just  outside  the  dead 
line,  on  their  way  to  Andersonville.  The  poor  man 
ended  his  life  there,  as  I  afterwards  learned. 

The  majority  of  us  who  were  confined  here  were 
men  who  had  seen  several  years'  service  in  the  front 
of  the  army,  and  had  often  slept  on  the  cold  ground 
in  our  rain-soaked  clothes,  but  this  place  was  many 
degrees  worse.  We  were  helpless  to  assist  our  poor 
sick  and  dying  comrades,  because  we  could  get  nothing 
to  help  them  with.  We  could  not  get  as  much  as  a 
few  leaves  or  weeds  to  place  between  their  emaciated 
bodies  and  the  cold  ground,  in  their  dying  hour.  The 
surface  of  our  prison  pen  was  as  bare  as  though  it  had 
been  swept.  Not  a  leaf,  straw  or  anything  of  the  kind 
could  be  found,  that  might  be  used  in  making  some 
sort  of  a  bed. 

Being  starved  down,  by  receiving  less  than  one  meal 


208  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$ 

per  day,  and  that  of  poor  quality,  with  not  a  spark  of 
fire  by  which  to  warm  our  chilled  bodies,  scarcely  able 
to  straighten  up,  our  garments  on  the  inside  infested 
with  vermin,  dirty  in  the  extreme,  no  change  of  cloth- 
ing and  with  long  matted  hair;  all  this  made  us  feel 
indescribably  miserable,  and  made  the  place  a  hell  upon 
earth.  Our  farmers  would  build  a  roof  over  their  hog- 
pens to  shelter  their  swine  from  the  rain  and  snow,  and 
give  them  straw  for  a  bed  and 'enough  to  eat,  but 
we  possessed  none  of  these  comforts.  If  a  farmer 
would  treat  his  stock  as  we  were  treated  he  would 
not  expect  them  to  live  many  months.  One  day  while 
standing  in  the  midst  of  the  prison,  looking  over  the 
mass  of  thousands  of  human  beings — most  of  them 
in  a  deplorable  condition — I  saw  some  of  them  aim- 
lessly moving  about,  seemingly  not  knowing  where 
they  were  going.  Of  course  we  were  all  in  suspense 
with  regard  to  our  future  treatment,  not  knowing 
how  long  our  misery  would  continue  to  increase  or 
how  or  where  it  would  end. 

What  a  contrast  between  these  men  in  prison  and 
when  they  left  their  homes!  There  they  were  patri- 
otic and  industrious  boys  and  young  men — youths  in 
their  first  flush  of  manhood  and  a  life  of  honor  to  them- 
selves and  usefulness  to  the  community.  Boys  pre- 
cious in  the  affections  of  home,  of  fathers,  mothers, 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$ 


209 


sisters,  brothers  and  sweethearts,  their  minds  aglow 
with  high  aspirations  of  a  bright  future  were  sent  in- 
to this  hell,  to  be  sacrificed  here  for  their  country.  Is 
it  any  wonder  that  we  dreamed  every  night  of  our 
homes  and  friends?  Scarcely  a  night  passed  that  I 


HE  KNOWS  ME,  THE  CHERUB? 

Dream  of  Home  and  Wife. 

did  not  dream  of  being  at  home  and  getting  some- 
thing to  eat.  Then  on  awakening  from  such  happy 
dreams  what  a  disappointment  it  seemed ! 

Dear  reader,  think  of  it,  what  it  cost  to  save  this 
great  government  from   destruction.     Many  a  patri- 


210  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-6$ 

otic  young  man  could  have  saved  his  life  and  health 
by  going  out  of  prison  on  parole,  and  working  for 
the  Confederate  government,  as  they  offered  us  an  op- 
portunity to  do.  But  the  boys  refused  to  do  this. 
They  told  them  they  would  rather  rot  in  prison  than 
work  for  them.  This  was  genuine  patriotism,  when 
death  was  staring  them  in  the  face.  They  refused  to 
do  anything  to  save  their  own  lives  which  would  in  the 
least  reflect  upon  our  flag. 

Thus  many  brave  and  good  boys  passed  from  this 
life  while  in  these  prisons,  in  a  most  wretched  condi- 
tion. I  am  at  a  loss  to  decide  what  words  to  use,  in 
order  to  express  to  the  reader  in  a  mild  form  the  sad 
scenes  witnessed*  in  some  of  our  comrades'  dying 
hours,  in  the  prisons,  during  the  winter  of  1863  and 
1864.  The  condition  of  our  sick  and  helpless  comrades 
I  partly  described  in  former  pages,  and  here  I  will 
merely  describe  a  scene  in  my  unvarnished  language, 
which  will  probably  cover  hundreds  of  cases.  One 
day  while  I  was  walking  through  a  crowded  part  of 
the  prison  pen  I  saw  a  fellow-prisoner — apparently  a 
young  man — lying  on  the  ground.  He  appeared  to  me 
as  if  he  were  in  a  helpless  condition.  His  face  was 
pale  where  it  was  not  black  from  prison  filth,  hair 
long  and  matted,  clothing  thin  and  torn,  arms  bare 
nearly  to  the  elbows,  and  other  parts  of  the  body  ex- 


IN    BATTLE,    CAMP   AND   PRISONS,    r6l-'65  211 

posed,  caused  by  worn-out  clothing.  He  'looked  more 
like  a  skeleton  than  a  living  man.  He  was  lying  upon 
the  bare  ground,  which  was  perhaps  slightly  frozen. 
As  I  stated  before,  the  prison  pen  was  entirely  desti- 
tute of  anything  which  could  be  placed  between  his 
poor,  chilled  body  and  the  ground.  We  were  all  help- 
less, as  far  as  making  him  comfortable.  This  boy  was 
undoubtedly  of  the  class  mentioned  in  former  lines, 
honest,  patriotic,  and  loved  by  his  home  relatives  and 
friends.  He  was  now  in  a  destitute  and  dying  con- 
dition, with  no  mother,  father,  sister  or  brother  to 
comfort  him,  to  soothe  his  fevered  brow,  and  to  whom 
he  could  communicate  his  last  dying  words.  In  some 
instances  similar  to  this  case  the  last  feeble  words  of 
the  dying  man  to  a  comrade  would  be  :  "  Tell  my  folks 
that  I  died  for  my  country  "  ;  and  in  a  feeble  voice 
give  the  last  good-bye. 

Who  was  responsible  for  the  intense  sufferings  and 
destruction  of  Union  soldiers  confined  in  southern 
military  prisons  during  the  War  of  the  Rebellion  from 
1861  to  1865?  is  a  question  sometimes  asked.  I  am  not 
able  to  answer  that  question  fully,  but  can  give  only 
my  opinion  in  some  respects,  and  certify  to  what  I 
saw  and  know  in  regard  to  it.  I  believe  that  a  large 
majority  of  the  people  of  the  South  would  not  have 
permitted  the  cruel  treatment  of  our  soldiers  in  their 


212  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$ 

prisons,  if  they  could  have  prevented  it,  but  they 
were  powerless.  The  men  in  authority  in  the  Con- 
federacy were  many  of  them  responsible  for  our  cruel 
treatment. 

Of  course  the  South  was  nearly  destitute  of  some 
things  for  which  we  suffered  during  our  confinement 
in  their  prisons.  But  they  possessed  plenty  of  fresh 
air,  fuel  (in  coal  and  wood),  good  clean  water,  and 
material  with  which  we  could  have  built  shelters  for 
ourselves.  If  they  would  have  supplied  us  with  the 
above  mentioned  four  articles,  our  sufferings  would 
not  have  been  one-half  as  great  as  they  were. 

Some  people  censured  the  United  States  govern- 
ment for  leaving  us  in  prison  so  long  a  time,  claim- 
ing that  the  government  would  not  consent  to  an  ex- 
change of  prisoners,  because  the  Confederates  in  our 
prisons  in  the  North,  if  exchanged,  would  have  been 
able  to  enter  their  army  as  soon  as  exchanged.  But 
our  men  from  southern  prisons  would  not,  on  ac- 
count of  being  disabled  for  service.  I  know  we  were 
disabled  nearly  all  of  us  for  a  lifetime. 

Our  faithful  endurance  in  southern  prisons  was  a 
very  large  factor  in  bringing  the  war  to  a  successful 
close,  but  it  was  a  barbarous  and  cruel  manner  to  use 
soldiers.  If  it  is  true  that  the  United  States  govern- 
ment would  not  exchange,  it  does  not  excuse  the  men 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65  213 

in  authority  in  the  Confederacy,  who  were  responsible 
for  the  most  of  our  sufferings  while  we  were  confined 
in  southern  military  prisons. 

The  truth  of  our  cruel  treatment  was  corroborated 
by  many  southern  people  at  the  time  of  our  confine- 
ment in  their  prisons,  and  they  petitioned  the  Con- 
federate authorities,  praying  for  the  betterment  of 
our  treatment.  But  the  Confederate  authorities  turned 
a  deaf  ear,  and  would  do  nothing  to  relieve  our  suf- 
ferings. 

It  was  now  near  the  middle  of  the  month  of  March. 
The  weather  was  beginning  to  grow  mild.  The  frost 
seemingly  was  nearly  all  out  of  the  ground,  and  there 
were  small  patches  of  green  grass  springing  up  out- 
side the  dead-line.  One  day  while  going  down  to  the 
river  after  a  drink  I  espied  a  small  patch  of  green 
grass  outside  the  line.  I  stood  and  looked  at  it,  and 
longed  to  have  some  of  it  to  eat,  as  my  appetite  seemed 
to  crave  some  vegetable  or  something  green. 

The  transfer  of  prisoners  from  the  island  to  Ander- 
sonville  still  continued.  Every  alternate  day  they 
called  for  600,  who  were  taken  to  the  city,  put  on 
board  the  cars,  and  shipped  south.  By  this  time  the 
crowd  on  the  island  had  been  considerably  reduced. 
On  Saturday,  March  12,  the  usual  call  was  made  for 
600.  Sunday  morning,  March  13,  broke  over  us  with 


214  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6^ 

a  bright  and  beautiful  sky.  Soon  after  sunrise  the 
officers  in  command  of  the  prison  called  for  400  men,  to 
go  out  and  over  to  the  city  of  Richmond.  As  this 
was  a  different  number  from  their  previous  calls,  and 
made  on  an  odd  day  (as  the  former  calls  were  made 
every  alternate  day),  this  caused  me  to  believe  that 
they  were  going  to  a  different  place  than  Anderson- 
ville.  I  was  standing  by  a  comrade  of  my  company, 
Alonzo  Fish,  and  we  were  looking  out  over  the  dead- 
line toward  the  cookhouse,  which  was  located  just  a 
few  rods  from  the  dead-line.  We  saw  some  of  our 
boys  who  were  doing  the  baking  of  the  corn-bread, 
and  who  had  blankets,  were  rolling  them  up  and 
seemed  to  be  preparing  to  leave.  I  said  to  Fish,  "  Let 
us  try  and  go  out  with  this  squad,  I  believe  they  are 
going  to  our  lines,  as  the  indications  appear  that  way 
to  me."  The  gate  soon  opened,  and  the  commander 
of  the  prison  stood  beside  it  and  counted  the  men  as 
they  passed  through.  Fish  and  myself  were  soon 
ready,  as  all  we  had  to  do  was  take  our  places  in  line, 
and  we  marched  out  with  the  400.  As  soon  as  the 
count  was  finished  the  gate  was  closed,  and  we  were 
now  really  outside  the  prison  pen,  but  yet  under 
guard.  As  a  consequence  we  were  considerably  ex- 
cited over  the  prospect  before  us.  We  marched  to 
the  bridge  leading  from  the  island  to  the  south  bank 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65  215 

of  the  James,  and  across  it,  and  then  down  to  the  big 
bridge  spanning  the  river  and  leading  to  the  city. 

We  were  soon  across  the  river,  and  marched  down 
the  street  past  old  Libby  Prison  and  into  a  large  brick 
building.  All  this  time  I  felt  a  little  nervous  on  ac- 
count of  the  uncertainty  of  our  destination,  as  I. 
thought  our  lives  depended  on  whether  we  were  ex- 
changed or  sent  to  some  other  prison. 

We  were  now  inside  the  large  building,  discussing 
the  prospects  before  us.  Some  time  during  the  day 
some  Confederates  came  in  with  paper,  ink  and  pen, 
and  told  us  we  were  going  to  be  paroled,  and  asked 
us  to  sign  our  names  on  a  large  sheet  of  paper,  telling 
us  that  it  was  a  parole.  This  caused  an  intense  anxiety 
among  our  men.  We  all  signed  it  without  any  urging, 
and  you  may  believe  there  was  a  great  change  in  our 
spirits.  Oh,  what  a  happy  hour  was  that,  to  think 
that  we  would  once  more  see  the  glorious  Stars  and 
Stripes. 

"  The   hollow    eyes   grew    bright, 
And  the  poor  heart  almost  gay, 
As  we  thought  of  seeing  home 
And  friends  once  more." 

But  yet  it  was  almost  too  good  to  believe,  as  we 
had  on  several  occasions  been  told  by  the  Confederates 
that  we  would  be  paroled  and  sent  to  our  lines,  but 


216  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

were  merely  transferred  from  one  prison  to  another, 
and  sadly  disappointed.  Thus  far  we  had  signed  a 
parole  but  were  yet  uncertain  as  to  our  fate. 

We  spent  the  night  of  March  13  in  the  building 
mentioned,  and  I  well  remember  that  many  of  us  were 
so  elated  that  we  slept  but  little  during  the  night,  but 
spent  the  time  in  talking  about  what  we  would  do 
when  reaching  our  lines,  and  if  we  finally  got  home. 
The  morning  of  March  14  came  at  last.  There  was 
no  change  in  the  news  about  going  to  our  homes. 
During  the  day  we  heard  that  there  was  a  Confederate 
steamer  coming  up  the  river,  to  take  us  to  a  place 
where  the  United  States  flag  of  truce  boat  would  meet 
us.  From  the  windows  of  our  prison  we  could  see 
down  to  the  boat-landing  on  the  river,  the  distance 
being  fifteen  or  twenty  rods.  We  could  see  that  the 
boat  had  not  yet  arrived,  but  were  anxiously  watch- 
ing all  day  for  its  arrival.  About  the  middle  of  the 
afternoon  the  little  steamer  hove  in  sight,  and  soon 
made  a  landing  at  the  wharf,  and  you  can  imagine  the 
excitement  ran  high. 

We  immediately  marched  out  and  down  to  the  land- 
ing, and  were  soon  on  board  the  boat.  In  a  short  time 
it  pulled  out  and  steamed  down  the  river  in  a  south- 
easterly direction.  We  were  yet  uneasy  as  to  our 
destination.  The  boat  steamed  slowly  down  the  James, 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65  217 

and  somehow  news  was  received  that  we  were  destined 
for  a  place  called  City  Point,  where  we  would  meet 
a  United  States  steamship  to  receive  us,  but  were 
yet  unbelievers,  like  doubting  Thomas.  We  said, 
"  Until  Old  Glory  is  seen  floating  above  our  heads  we 
will  not  believe." 

As  we  floated  down  the  river  nothing  of  great  in- 
terest was  seen  as  we  passed  along.  Our  conversation 
was  mostly  on  the  subject  of  our  exchange.  Night 
was  coming  on,  many  of  us  were  lying  on  the  upper 
deck  of  the  steamer,  and  after  dark  I  think  the  ma- 
jority of  us  fell  asleep,  at  least  I  did.  Some  time  dur- 
ing the  night  the  boat  reached  City  Point,  and  ran 
in  beside  the  United  States  steamship.  I  was  asleep 
at  the  time,  and  of  course  was  not  aware  that  the  boat 
had  stopped,  and  was  in  the  presence  of  the  United 
States  boat.  I  awoke  during  the  latter  part  of  the 
night  and  discovered  that  the  boat  was  lying  quiet. 
I  investigated  the  surroundings,  and  saw  something 
beside  our  boat.  On  close  examination  I  found  it  to 
be  a  steamship,  with  tall  masts  reaching  to  quite  a 
height  above  the  boat.  Everything  was  quiet,  no  one 
seemed  to  be  moving,  and  it  being  yet  dark  I  lay  down 
and  went  to  sleep.  Ere  long  daylight  began  to  appear, 
and  as  soon  as  we  could  see  plainly  enough  to  dis- 
tinguish the  old  flag,  it  seemed  nearly  all  the  prisoners 


218  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6 1 -'65 

awoke  like  magic,  and  all  that  could  began  cheering 
for  "  Old  Glory,"  which  was  floating  from  the  head 
of  the  United  States  ship ;  and,  dear  reader,  you  can 
imagine  what  the  sight  of  the  old  flag  brought  forth. 
Continuous  cheering  came  from  all  those  who  were 
able,  but  some,  alas,  were  not,  having  been  carried 
on  board  the  boat  by  their  comrades,  and  these  could 
express  their  intense  love  for  the  Stars  and  Stripes 
only  by  extending  their  naked  bony  arms  in  its  direc- 
tion, and  many  were  so  overjoyed  that  they  shed 
tears. 

One  of  our  number  died  on  the  way  down  the  river. 
I  never  had  been  so  elated  in  my  life  before  as  now, 
by  the  knowledge  that  we  were  released  from  a  death 
sentence.  We  found  ourselves  under  the  protection 
01  the  old  flag  at  last,  and  it  appeared  to  me  better,  ten 
times  more  beautiful,  with  brighter  colors  and  stars 
than  it  had  ever  appeared  before,  and  I  was  overcome 
by  an  inspiring  sensation  which  made  me  feel  like 
singing  the  good  old  song :  "  Oh,  wrap  the  flag  around 
me  boys." 

I  suppose  many  of  the  boys  felt  as  I  did  and  wanted 
to  sing,  but  did  not  have  vitality  enough  to  sing  a 
song.  We  were  then  believers,  because  we  saw  "  Old 
Glory  "  floating  above  us. 

Our  release  from  prison  may  well  be  compared  to 


IN    1SATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 


S 


220  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$ 

the  release  of  a  person  from  a  death  sentence.  Many 
of  our  number  wept  like  children.  The  next  thing 
we  saw  was  some  Confederates  on  board  the  United 
States  ship.  I  walked  up  near  enough  to  enter  into 
conversation  with  one  of  them,  and  asked  him  how 
they  had  been  treated  in  the  North.  He  replied, 
"  Very  well."  I  said,  "  Did  you  receive  enough  to 
eat?  "  (This  thought  appeared  to  be  uppermost  in  our 
minds.)  He  said  they  did,  and  I  was  satisfied  from 
their  appearance  that  they  had  received  good  usage 
while  they  were  held  as  prisoners  of  war  in  Uncle 
Sam's  hands.  They  appeared  healthy,  and  some  of 
them  had  received  new  clothing  during  their  im- 
prisonment, and  as  far  as  I  could  see  were  well  clothed. 
But  yet  they  had  undoubtedly  suffered  great  hard- 
ships, as  that  is  a  consequence  in  military  prison  life, 
which  is  torture  at  its  best.  Some  of  the  Confederates 
who  were  confined  in  northern  prisons  complained  of 
hardships,  and  I  have  no  doubt  but  that  it  was  hard 
to  endure,  but  it  was  no  comparison  to  our  sufferings 
in  southern  prisons. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 
Under  the  Protection  of  "  Old  Glory  "  Once  More. 

During  the  forenoon  we  were  transferred  from  the 
Confederate  steamer  to  Uncle  Sam's  boat,  and  the  Con- 
federates were  taken  to  the  Confederate  steamer.  Now, 
as  the  boys  termed  it,  we  were  once  more  in  "  God's 
country."  Soon  after  our  arrival  on  board  the  boat 
coffee  was  prepared  for  us.  It  was  made  in  a  large 
barrel,  by  steam.  Oh,  but  that  sweet  odor  from  the  cof- 
fee was  delicious.  It  testified  that  we  had  passed  from  a 
land  of  starvation  to  a  land  of  plenty.  We  had  not 
smelled  coffee  for  about  six  months  until  now,  and  were 
receiving  our  first  meal  from  Uncle  Sam  since  our  ex- 
change. It  consisted  of  a  tin-cup  of  good  coffee,  a 
slice  of  bread  about  as  large  as  my  hand,  a  slice  of 
boiled  pork  about  the  size  of  one  finger,  a  piece  of 
onion,  and  two  apples.  We  had  fasted  so  long  that  in 
our  debilitated  condition  the  consequence  would  have 
been  serious  if  we  had  been  given  a  full  meal.  We 
were  now  safely  on  board  of  Uncle  Sam's  ship,  and 
were  soon  to  move  out  of  the  harbor. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  the  boat  started  in  the  direc- 


222  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

tion  of  Fortress  Monroe.  On  the  way  down  we  passed 
a  monitor.  I  was  informed  by  one  of  the  boat  crew 
that  it  was  the  one  that  had  defeated  the  Merrimac. 
We  also  passed  a  very  large  man-of-war  which  looked 
like  a  great  fort,  and  I  thought  it  was  until  informed 
differently.  When  we  arrived  near  Fortress  Monroe 
the  boat  halted  for  a  short  time,  and  then  passed  near 
the  Fortress  and  out  into  Chesapeake  Bay,  and  started 
on  our  journey  toward  Annapolis,  Md. 

Darkness  soon  came  on,  and  also  a  tremendous  gale 
began  blowing  from  the  northeast,  which  made  things 
lively  on  the  boat.  In  a  short  time  it  began  to  rock 
violently,  and  for  some  time  the  storm  seemed  to  in- 
crease in  fury.  This  made  the  ship  rock  to  and  fro  so 
that  we  were  unable  to  stand  up.  About  four  hundred 
of  us  paroled  prisoners  were  lying  on  the  floor  of  the 
ship.  I  made  several  attempts  to  stand  up  but  could 
not,  and  then  decided  to  remain  down  and  keep  quiet, 
but  also  failed  in  that.  Then  many  buckets  were  placed 
on  the  floor  in  different  parts  of  the  boat.  I  was 
curious  to  learn  why  that  was  done,  but  had  not  long  to 
wait  until  I  learned  more  about  it  than  I  had  any 
desire  to  know.  The  reader  can  guess  the  rest. 

The  night  wore  on  slowly,  the  storm  beating  against 
the  boat  and  tossing  it  first  one  way  and  then  the  other, 
and  it  seemed  to  move  in  a  half  dozen  directions  at 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$  223 

once,  which  made  things  interesting.  -At  one  time 
the  boat  tipped  to  one  side  so  much  that  I  thought  it 
would  not  straighten  up  again.  The  captain  of  the 
boat  called  for  the  deck  hands,  and  they  were  soon  at 
their  posts  of  duty,  and  began  turning  a  windlass 
which  was  attached  to  the  side  of  the  boat,  to 
which  was  fastened  one  end  of  a  large  rope  and  the 
other  end  to  a  small  iron  car,  which  stood  on  a  track 
extending  crosswise  of  the  boat.  By  this  means  they 
drew  the  heavy  car  to  the  high  side,  by  winding  the 
rope  around  the  windlass.  They  also  rolled  barrels 
of  sand  from  the  lower  to  the  high  side.  By  these  the 
ship  was  balanced  again,  and  saved  from  overturning. 
Occasionally  a  wave  would  strike  the  side  of  the  boat, 
causing  a  very  loud  report,  and  making  the  ship  fairly 
tremble.  At  one  time  during  the  night  I  thought  to 
myself,  perhaps  now  we  will  be  shipwrecked  and 
drowned,  after  passing  through  all  our  hardships  and 
troubles,  when  within  a  few  hours'  ride  of  our  destina- 
tion. 

But,  thank  the  Lord,  we  landed  at  Annapolis  the 
following  day.  The  storm  ceased  some  time  during  the 
morning,  and  we  soon  came  in  sight  of  the  place  of 
landing.  They  were  now  beginning  to  get  us  ready  to 
be  transferred  from  the  boat  to  the  shore,  at  Annapolis, 
Md.,  where  we  arrived  March  16,  1864.  All  those  who 


224  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

were  able  to  do  so  got  up  and  walked  out  on  shore. 
After  landing  I  stepped  to  one  side  of  our  group,  and 
turning  toward  it  I  beheld  the  most  sorrowful  picture 
of  human  beings  that  I  had  ever  seen,  except  when  on 
the  island.  Those  scenes  seem  to  be  permanently 
stamped  upon  my  memory. 

I  again  joined  the  group  or  crowd,  as  there  were 
almost  too  many  of  us  to  be  called  a  group.  We  were 
certainly  awful-looking  objects  of  humanity.  We  had 
not  been  barbered  for  six  months,  and  some  of  the 
group  for  eight  or  ten  months.  Our  faces  were  dirty 
and  disfigured  with  prison  grime,  shaggy  whiskers, 
shrunken  cheeks  and  lips,  long,  matted  hair  on 
our  heads,  stooped  shoulders,  and  long,  bony  hands 
and  fingers,  which  made  us  appear  like  a  lot  of  apes 
and  monkeys.  I  am  certain  if  Mr.  Barnum,  the  noted 
showman,  had  caught  sight  of  us,  Uncle  Sam  would 
have  been  minus  a  few  so-called  soldiers,  because  we 
would  undoubtedly  have  been  corralled  for  his  shows. 
The  buzzard  that  feeds  on  carrion  would  have  blushed 
and  been  offended,  if  we  had  been  offered  to  him  for 
food. 

But  many  of  us  thanked  Providence  for  our  mi- 
raculous deliverance  from  almost  certain  death.  From 
the  best  information  that  I  could  procure  during  recent 
years,  I  learned  that  our  squad  of  400  was  the  last  one 


IN    BATTLE,   CAMP  AND   PRISONS,    '6l-6$  225 

that  was  paroled  during  the  spring  and  summer  of 
1864,  and  therefore  if  we  had  not  been  permitted  to 
go. out  with  these  400  the  majority  of  us  would  now 
be  numbered  with  the  dead  at  the  prison  pen.  I  heard 
of  a  number  of  ex-prisoners  returning  to  their  homes 
so  changed  in  appearance  that  their  own  parents  were 
unable  to  recognize  them.  We  were  asked  to  get  in 
line  and  march  over  to  a  large  building,  which  was 
new  and  apparently  constructed  for  the  purpose  for 
which  it  was  used.  It  was  divided  into  three  large 
compartments. 

In  the  first  room  we  passed  into  they  clipped  our 
hair  and  whiskers  closely.  We  were  then  ordered  to 
strip  off  every  rag  from  our  bodies.  If  I  remember 
rightly  they  handled  our  filthy,  lousy  garments  with 
pitchforks,  after  taking  them  off,  and  I  considered  it 
an  insult  to  the  forks.  We  were  then  told  to  pass  on 
into  another  very  large  room,  in  which  were  twenty  or 
thirty  bathtubs,  containing  plenty  of  warm  water. 
Then  each  received  a  piece  of  soap  and  a  towel,  and 
was  told  to  take  a  good  bath,  which  we  did  and  greatly 
enjoyed.  Those  who  were  not  able  to  do  so  were 
bathed  by  assistants. 

After  being  purified  in  this  manner  we  were  shown 
into  a  third  large  room,  and  given  a  new  outfit  of 
clothing,  consisting  of  shirt,  drawers,  pants,  socks, 


226  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

shoes,  coat,  hat  and  blanket.  Imagine  the  change  in 
our  appearance,  and  also  in  our  feelings.  I  did  not 
weigh  very  heavy  when  we  landed,  but  I  imagined  that 
I  weighed  several  pounds  less  after  taking  my  bath. 
Some  of  the  boys  intimated  that  Uncle  Sam  could  sell 
fertilizer  after  we  had  all  finished  bathing. 

After  being  dressed  in  our  new  suits  we  were  trans- 
ferred over  to  the  new  barracks,  which  were  found  to 
be  very  nice  and  clean.  The  day  was  now  about  gone, 
and  a  supper  was  prepared  for  us.  After  eating  we 
retired  to  our  bunks,  and  I  am  utterly  unable  to  de- 
scribe how  well  my  rest  was  enjoyed  that  night.  Oh, 
such  a  sweet  rest  as  it  was;  knowing  that  we  were 
once  more  clean,  and  that  our  clothing  was  not  infested 
with  graybacks  who  would  dance  about  on  our  bodies 
and  torment  us  during  the  night.  To  think  that  we 
were  no  longer  under  control  of  a  cruel  prison-keeper, 
and  that  those  hideous  prison  days  were  a  thing  of 
the  past  was  a  blessed  relief.  Our  transfer  from  the 
prison  pens  to  the  new  and  clean  barracks,  may  well 
be  compared  to  a  release  from  the  infernal  regions,  and 
a  transfer  to  the  land  of  everlasting  bliss. 

But  yet  we  were  reminded  of  our  comrades  left  in 
prison,  who  were  yet  suffering  and  did  not  know  how 
much  longer  they  would  remain  there.  We  tarried  in 
Annapolis  about  ten  days.  While  there  we  were  well 


IX    BATTLE,    CAMP  AND   PRISONS,    '6l-6$  227 

cared  for  by  Uncle  Sam.  There  was  such  a  contrast 
between  this  treatment  and  our  treatment  in  prison 
that  I  kept  thinking  that  it  was  too  good  to  continue. 
Some  of  the  boys  remarked  as  follows :  "  How  long  is 
this  thing  going  to  last?"  We  had  been  tormented 
during  such  a  long  time  that  we  could  not  make  our- 
selves believe  that  we  would  henceforward  have 
enough  to  eat,  and  that  we  were  in  a  land  of  plenty. 
And  it  really  seemed  to  us  a  strange  thing  to  have 
humane  treatment. 

March  26  we  received  orders  to  go  to  St.  Louis, 
Mo.  We  went  by  steamer  from  Annapolis  to  Balti- 
more. All  the  western  boys  were  there  transferred  to 
the  cars  on  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  railroad  and  left 
Baltimore  March  27,  1864,  passing  through  Harper's 
Ferry,  the  scene  of  John  Brown's  insurrection.  On 
this  road  we  were  taken  as  far  as  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
where  we  rested  one  day,  and  on  March  30  were  trans- 
ferred to  the  cars  of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  railroad 
on  which  we  were  taken  to  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  arriving 
there  on  March  31.  Nothing  of  any  consequence  tran- 
spired on  the  way,  except  that  I  was  sick  during  the 
latter  part  of  the  journey.  When  our  train  crossed 
the  Illinois  Central  railroad  in  southern  Illinois,  it 
was  nighttime  and  the  train  halted  for  some  time.  It 
was  not  very  dark,  and  I  was  able  to  look  out  and  see 


228  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$ 

some  of  the  Illinois  prairies,  which  made  me  feel  home- 
sick. I  felt  as  though  I  wanted  to  get  on  the  Illinois 
Central  and  go  north  to  my  home  at  Mendota,  a  dis- 
tance of  several  hundred  miles.  But  according  to  army 
regulations  I  was  not  allowed  to  go.  I  never  received 
a  furlough  during  my  service  of  three  years  and  four 
months.  Our  train  rolled  on  toward  St.  Louis,  arriving 
there,  as  stated  before.  We  got  off  and  were  soon  in 
our  temporary  home,  the  convalescent  camp  at  Ben- 
ton  Barracks. 

I  among  many  others  was  placed  under  the  doctor's 
care  for  the  treatment  of  scurvy  and  general  disability. 
Our  lodging  place  was  in  the  barracks,  and  we  reported 
to  the  doctor  every  morning.  At  times  I  felt  quite 
sick  and  was  under  treatment  several  months.  At 
the  end  of  this  time  I  had  gained  considerable  strength, 
and  was  much  better  but  not  entirely  well. 

In  the  latter  part  of  May  we  were  transferred  from 
here  to  Memphis,  Tenn.  We  went  by  boat,  steamed 
out  from  the  landing,  and  started  down  the  Mississippi. 
A  short  time  after  leaving  the  landing  quite  an  exciting 
incident  occurred.  There  were  several  hundred  of  us 
ex-prisoners  of  war  on  board.  We  had  taken  our 
places  in  a  comfortable  part  of  the  boat.  The  lower 
part  of  it,  where  the  boilers  were  located,  was  partly 
occupied  by  fat  cattle  en  route  for  the  army.  A  captain 


IN    BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$  229 

with  a  number  of  guards  had  charge  of  us,  and  was  to 
conduct  us  to  Memphis.  The  captain  came  to  us  and 
said,  "  Boys,  you  must  go  down  to  the  next  floor."  We 
refused  to  go,  as  we  were  more  comfortable  on  the 
upper  floor,  and  told  him  that  we  would  like  to  remain 
above ;  that  we  had  been  dogged  about  long  enough. 
He  insisted  on  our  going  down,  seemed  to  be  of  the 
aristocratic  style,  and  finally  drew  his  sabre  and  at- 
tempted to  strike  one  of  our  number  who  stood  at 
the  stairway  leading  below,  at  the  same  time  ordering 
him  to  go  down,  which  he  refused  to  do.  He  being 
a  tall,  active  fellow,  struck  the  captain  with  his  fist, 
and  sent  him  sprawling  on  the  floor,  his  sabre  flying 
out  of  his  hand.  He  got  up  and  called  to  his  guards 
to  come  and  assist  him,  which  they  did  not  do,  as  there 
were  only  five  or  six  of  them,  and  seeing  fire  in  our 
eyes  they  concluded  it  was  best  not  to  interfere.  The 
captain  was  very  angry,  and  went  to  the  captain  of 
the  boat  and  ordered  him  to  land  us  on  the  Missouri 
side  of  the  river.  We  disembarked  and  waited  quite  a 
long  time,  and  finally  another  boat  came  along  and 
took  us  on  board,  and  we  were  soon  again  on  our  way 
down  the  river. 

If  it  had  been  necessary  for  us  to  go  down  to  the 
lower  part  of  the  boat  we  would  have  gone.  But  there 
was  plenty  of  room  on  the  second  floor,  where  wo 


230  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$ 

could  be  comfortable,  and  we  knew  that ;  therefore  we 
did  not  propose  to  be  imposed  upon  by  an  aristocratic 
captain.  Nothing  of  interest  transpired  during  the  re- 
mainder of  the  trip,  and  we  landed  at  Memphis,  Tenn., 
the  following  day,  where  the  crowd  was  divided,  some 
going  to  their  company  and  regiment,  and  others  again 
to  some  convalescent  camp.  I  was  transferred  to  a 
convalescent  camp  situated  on  a  bluff  of  the  Miss- 
issippi, not  far  from  it.  When  I  entered  the  place  the 
weather  was  very  hot,  and  the  wind  blowing  almost  a 
gale,  which  filled  the  air  with  dust  and  fine  dry  sand, 
covering  the  bunks  and  everything  about  us  with  it. 
This  made  it  very  unpleasant.  I  did  not  feel  very  well 
at  this  time,  and  the  effects  of  the  unpleasant  sur- 
roundings did  not  improve  my  feelings  any.  Learning 
of  the  whereabouts  of  my  company  and  regiment,  the 
7th  Illinois  Cavalry,  I  decided  to  make  my  way  to  it 
if  possible.  No  one  was  allowed  to  leave  this  camp 
without  a  pass  from  the  one  in  charge.  It  was  en- 
closed by  a  tight  board  fence.  After  being  confined 
here  several  days,  I  concluded  that  as  long  as  I  re- 
mained here  my  health  would  not  improve,  so  I 
issued  orders  to  the  effect  that  Eby  might  return  to 
his  company  and  regiment,  and  made  preparations  to 
leave  the  place  immediately.  They  would  not  give  me 
a  pass,  but  I  looked  about,  and  finally  made  my  escape 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$  231 

by  a  means  which  did  not  conform  with  military  rules. 
After  being  outside  of  the  camp  I  immediately 
started  in  search  of  my  regiment,  which  I  learned  was 
encamped  only  a  few  miles  distant  from  the  city.  I 
made  inquiries  occasionally  as  I  moved  along  in  re- 
gard to  the  location  of  the  regiment,  which  assisted 
me  in  finding  it.  I  accomplished  my  task  on  the  same 
day  of  starting  out.  I  did  not  think  it  proper  to  re- 
main in  convalescent  camp  at  Uncle  Sam's  expense, 
when  I  could  just  as  well  be  with  the  regiment  and  do 
a  little  service  and  get  well. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

My  Return  to  My  Company  and  Regiment  on  May 
25,  1864. 

I  found  the  boys  of  my  company,  and  a  happy  meet- 
ing it  was.  They  surrounded  me  and  treated  me 
royally,  asking  many  questions  in  regard  to  my  capture 
and  prison  life.  Oh,  how  glad  I  was  to  get  back  among 
them  once  more !  But  alas !  some  of  the  number  were 
missing,  never  to  return.  Some  had  died,  others  been 
killed  in  battle  since  I  had  last  been  with  them.  Our 
camp  was  located  in  a  pleasant  grove  of  tall  trees,  with 
a  well  of  good  water  near  by.  Our  captain  thought  I 
was  not  yet  well  enough  to  do  duty,  and  therefore  did 
not  issue  any  firearms  to  me. 

A  few  days  later  part  of  the  company  was  sent  out 
to  reconnoiter,  and  I  concluded  to  go  with  them  for 
recreation,  and  thought  it  would  be  of  more  benefit 
to  me  than  medicine.  I  procured  a  sabre  and  carbine 
from  one  of  the  boys  who  was  not  able  to  go  with  us. 
We  went  out  quite  a  distance  from  camp,  to  see  what 
we  could  ascertain  in  regard  to  the  enemy,  but  failed 
to  find  any.  We  stopped  at  a  farmhouse  where  we 


234  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6 1 -'65 

bought  some  milk  and  a  few  biscuits,  which  tasted 
delicious. 

We  returned  to  camp  without  any  special  excite- 
ment, and  I  felt  quite  refreshed.  It  was  now  the  early 
part  of  July,  1864,  and  time  passed  away  as  usual, 
with  the  ordinary  guard  and  picket  duties,  and 
occasionally  going  outside  the  lines  on  scouting  ex- 
peditions. My  health  still  continued  to  improve  slow- 
ly. Nothing  special  occurred  to  create  any  great  ex- 
citement until  Aug.  21,  1864,  when  in  the  morning, 
about  three  o'clock,  we  heard  firing  on  the  picket  line, 
which  was  more  than  ordinary  skirmishing.  The  firing 
awoke  some  of  us  immediately,  and  in  about  a  minute 
all  was  alive  and  bustle  in  our  camp.  The  regimental 
bugle  sounded  "  boots  and  saddles,"  which  meant  get 
your  boots  on  and  saddle  your  horses.  And  then  an- 
other call  came  to  mount  and  fall  in,  which  meant  get 
in  line,  ready  to  march,  and  we  proceeded  to  do  this 
as  quickly  as  possible.  Before  we  were  able  to  form 
in  line  we  heard  the  enemy  galloping  toward  the  city 
on  the  main  road,  within  thirty  or  forty  rods  of  our 
camp.  As  it  was  not  yet  daylight  we  were  unable  to 
see  them.  They  proved  to  be  quite  a  large  force  of 
Gen.  Forrest's  cavalry.  They  came  to  the  picket  line, 
fired  a  few  volleys,  and  broke  right  through  with  their 
main  column,  and  fired  into  a  regiment  of  -infantry 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  .AND   PRISONS,   '6l-'6$  235 

which  was  camped  a  short  distance  inside  the  picket 
line,  killing  several  of  their  number.  As  there  were 
not  many  troops  camped  inside  the  city,  the  Confeder- 
ate cavalry  had  almost  a  clear  road  to  the  center  of  the 
city.  Their  object  was  to  capture  the  General  in  com- 
mand, rob  the  postoffice,  and  any  other  mischief  they 
could  do.  They  nearly  accomplished  their  object.  The 
General  in  command  of  our  troops  here  had  his  head- 
quarters in  a  house,  and  the  Confederates  came  to  the 
front  door  so  suddenly  that  he  had  only  time  to  get 
out  of  bed,  grab  his  clothes,  and  escape  through  a  back 
door. 

Some  of  the  enemy  got  upon  the  steps  of  the  post- 
office,  but  were  driven  away  by  a  squad  of  infantry 
who  fired  on  them  from  across  the  street.  While  this 
was  going  on  in  the  city,  twenty-five  of  Co.  C,  I  being 
of  that  number,  were  detailed  to  move  out  toward  the 
picket  line  to  ascertain  what  was  there,  and  whether  or 
not  there  was  any  considerable  force  of  Confederates. 
Before  reaching  the  place  where  the  picket  line  was 
usually  located,  we  discovered  a  long  line  of  cavalry 
standing  quietly,  and  at  first  were  unable  to  tell 
whether  they  were  friend  or  foe,  on  account  of  its  not 
being  quite  light  enough.  We  moved  up  within  a  short 
distance  of  them,  and  found  them  to  be  Confederate 
cavalry,  which  had  been  left  there  as  a  reserve,  as  we 


236  IN    BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,    '6l-'65 

learned  later.  They  did  not  fire  upon  us,  as  they  no 
doubt  supposed  that  we  were  some  of  their  own  men 
returning  from  the  city.  We  immediately  faced  about 
and  moved  toward  the  city  and  our  camp,  and  soon 
found  ourselves  in  a  bad  predicament,  with  a  long  line 
of  the  enemy  in  front  and  another  in  our  rear.  As  I 
stated  before  it  was  scarcely  light  enough  to  distin- 
guish objects  at  a  long  distance,  and  we  were  within 
four  or  five  rods  of  the  enemy's  line,  which  was  just 
returning  from  the  city,  before  the  discovery  was  made 
that  we  were  enemies  to  each  other.  Then  firing  com- 
menced and  we  immediately  saw  our  dangerous  posi- 
tion, being  threatened  in  front  and  rear  with  a  force  of 
the  enemy  more  than  ten  times  our  number,  and  we 
knew  what  our  fate  would  be  if  we  remained  there  a 
moment  longer — -that  we  would  be  made  prisoners. 
Our  only  means  of  escape  were  some  small  spaces 
open  on  the  flanks.  We  struck  out  for  these,  every 
man  as  fast  as  horse  power  could  take  him.  In  this 
little  skirmish  our  force  of  twenty-five  was  nearly 
annihilated ;  one  being  killed,  several  made  prisoners, 
some  slightly  wounded,  and  a  number  injured  by  their 
horses  falling  into  washouts,  which  were  plentiful  in 
this  section.  The  balance  were  scattered  in  different 
directions  in  order  to  make  their  escape.  I  escaped 
without  injury,  receiving  only  bullet-holes  through  my 


IN   BATTLE,  CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$  237 

right  trousers  leg,  but  they  did  not  cause  me  any 
pain.  Two  of  the  horses  belonging  to  our  party  be- 
came unmanageable.  The  rider  of  one,  William  Orris, 
was  carried  through  between  two  Confederates,  who 
had  their  guns  in  position  to  shoot  when  they  saw 
him  approaching  them.  They  both  fired,  just  as  he 
was  within  a  few  feet  of  them,  and  both  missed  him, 
but  one  fired  so  close  to  his  head  that  his  hair  was 
singed.  He  was  carried  safely  through  the  lines  to  our 
forces.  The  other  one,  Elmer  Hunt,  was  carried  by  his 
horse  through  the  Confederate  forces,  and  also  arrived 
in  our  lines  in  safety.  The  balance  of  our  number  that 
were  left  got  through,  some  one  way  and  some  another. 
When  the  Confederates  saw  that  we  were  determined 
to  get  away  they  started  to  follow  us,  and  as  I  was 
riding  up  a  hill  along  a  fence  I  heard  them  coming  to- 
ward me,  shooting  and  yelling,  "  Halt,  halt,  you  Yank  !" 
but  Yank  wouldn't  halt  worth  a  cent.  I  had  other 
business  just  over  the  fence  in  a  cottonfield.  It  seemed 
to  me  that  I  never  was  in  such  a  big  hurry  to  go  some- 
where in  my  life,  as  I  was  when  riding  up  that  hill, 
and  I  did  not  heed  the  Johnnies'  advice,  who  were  try- 
ing so  hard  to  persuade  me  to  stop.  As  the  saying  is, 
a  person  could  have  played  checkers  on  my  coat  tail 
if  I  had  possessed  one,  but  I  had  on  a  cavalry  jacket. 
I  was  riding  an  extremely  tall  horse  of  several  colors, 


238  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$ 

an  Arabian,  spotted  something  like  a  giraffe.  He  was 
owned  by  Uncle  Sam,  and  when  riding  up  that  hill  he 
appeared  to  be  about  seventy-five  hands  high,  espe- 
cially when  I  fell  off  at  the  cottonfield.  I  must  have 
presented  a  comical  spectacle  when  going  up  that  hill. 
I  don't  wonder  that  the  Confederates  followed  me  so 
industriously. 

When  I  reached  the  cottonfield  my  horse  made  a 
short  turn  at  a  fence  corner,  and  the  saddle  girth  being 
quite  loose  allowed  the  saddle  to  turn  and  I  found  my- 
self on  the  ground,  in  a  second,  badly  scared.  As  the 
saying  is,  "  I  might  as  well  have  been  shot  as  to  have 
been  scared  to  death."  I  was  determined  that  they 
should  not  again  make  me  a  prisoner.  So  I  jumped 
up,  and  as  quickly  as  possible  ran  through  under  the 
fence  into  the  cottonfield,  and  up  between  two  rows 
of  cotton,  which  were  about  four  feet  in  height  and 
quite  bushy,  and  by  stooping  down  I  was  enabled  to 
keep  out  of  sight.  After  running  some  distance  I  lay 
down  in  the  row  and  remained  there,  awaiting  results. 
The  enemy  did  not  follow  me  into  the  cottonfield,  but 
after  remaining  there  perhaps  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes 
I  heard  horsemen  coming  up  through  the  field,  and  in 
a  few  moments  a  large  number  of  the  Confederate 
cavalry  rode  past  me,  in  the  second  or  third  row  from 
where  I  was  lying  and  expected  every  moment  that 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65  239 

they  would  call  me  to  get  up,  and  I  would  be  their 
prisoner.  But  they  passed  by  without  discovering  me. 
If  they  had  but  stopped  and  listened,  they  might  have 
heard  my.  heart  beat,  but  they  would  undoubtedly  have 
mistaken  it  for  a  bass  drum.  All  sorts  of  visions  of 
the  horrid  prison  pens  passed  through  my  mind  in 
these  few  moments.  Soon  after  the  Confederates  passed 
out  of  my  hearing  I  quietly  arose  to  see  what  could 
be  discovered.  The  enemy  had  now  all  disappeared, 
and  I  looked  around  and  saw  one  of  my  squad,  Giles 
Hodge,  who  was  in  a  similar  predicament  as  myself, 
and  had  just  risen  out  of  the  cotton  about  twenty-five 
or  thirty  feet  from  me.  We  looked  at  each  other  and 
exchanged  congratulations  on  our  good  fortune  in 
escaping  capture  by  the  enemy. 

It  was  at  once  discovered  that  the  Confederates  had 
all  passed  out  of  our  immediate  vicinity  and  that  our 
troops  were  preparing  to  follow.  Hodge  and  myself 
then  walked  back  to  camp,  where  we  found  our  horses, 
to  our  surprise  and  joy.  Comrade  Hodge  is  now  living 
in  Lee  Center,  111.,  and  Comrade  Orris  in  Triumph, 
111.  Comrade  Hunt  I  believe  lives  in  Davenport,  Iowa. 

During  the  morning  engagement,  James  Coss,  of 
Co.  C,  who  remained  with  the  main  portion  of  the  7th, 
chased  and  captured  a  Confederate  lieutenant.  During 
the  chase  Jim's  hat  fell  to  the  ground,  which  he  could 


240  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS.   '6l-'6$ 

not  pick  up,  as  he  was  obliged  to  keep  his  eyes  upon 
his  prisoner,  and  therefore  escorted  his  captive  nearly 
two  miles,  to  the  General's  headquarters,  bareheaded. 
The  General  congratulated  Jim  and  presented  him  with 
a  hat. 

After  procuring  our  horses,  we  readjusted  the  sad- 
dles, mounted,  and  also  went  in  pursuit  of  Gen.  For- 
rest's forces.  After  catching  up  with  our  company 
and  regiment  the  boys  began  laughing  at  us,  on  ac- 
count of  our  peculiar  way  of  making  our  escape. 
While  Hodge  and  I  were  lying  in  the  cottonfield  the 
ground  appeared  to  be  as  attractive  as  a  magnet,  and 
we  were  about  as  flat  as  a  hardtack.  And  about  the 
time  that  the  Confederate  cavalry  was  passing  by  us 
I  imagined  that  the  old  Confederate  prisons  were  al- 
most in  sight.  It  did  seem  as  though  I  thought  of  a 
thousand  things  in  one  moment  of  time.  I  was  almost 
certain  that  if  I  was  captured  then  and  taken  back  to 
prison  it  would  end  my  days,  as  I  was  yet  in  rather 
a  poor  condition  of  health  from  the  effects  of  my 
former  imprisonment. 

We  followed  the  Confederates  some  time,  when  we 
met  Gen.  Forrest  with  several  of  his  command  carry- 
ing a  flag  of  truce,  and  of  course,  according  to  the 
rules  of  war,  we  were  obliged  to  halt  until  the  party 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND   PRISONS,   '6l-'65  241 

returned  to  its  command.  I  never  learned  the  object 
of  the  truce  party,  but  I  had  a  good  view  of  Gen. 
Forrest  on  this  occasion,  and  well  remember  his  form. 
He  was  a  large  man,  and  wore  a  broad-brimmed  hat, 
but  I  did  not  see  his  face.  After  their  return  we 
again  resumed  the  pursuit,  and  continued  until  late 
in  the  day,  and  then  returned  to  camp.  Everything 
remained  quiet  about  the  camp  until  I  think  some 
time  in  August,  or  the  early  part  of  September,  when 
we  received  orders  to  move  our  camp  a  short  distance 
east  of  Memphis  to  a  place  called  White  Station,  lo- 
cated on  the  Memphis  and  Charleston  Railroad. 

While  camped  there  I  had  a  slight  experience  with 
bushwhackers,  while  on  outpost  picket  duty.  On  a 
bright  moonlight  night  in  September,  as  I  was  sitting 
on  my  horse  in  the  shade  of  a  large  forest  tree,  in 
the  woods  and  close  to  the  road,  keeping  watch  of 
things  in  front,  my  attention  was  suddenly  attracted 
by  something  glistening  in  the  moonlight,  a  short 
distance  beyond  a  patch  of  underbrush  and  apparently 
very  near  the  road.  I  kept  my  eye  peeled,  as  the  say- 
ing is,  and  soon  saw  some  object  quietly  and  slowly 
moving  about  in  the  vicinity  where  the  glistening  ob- 
ject had  been  seen.  I  immediately  held  a  consulta- 
tion with  myself  and  very  soon  rendered  a  decision, 


242  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$ 

as  follows :  I  decided  that  if  what  I  saw  was  a  person 
or  a  number  of  persons  with  good  intent,  who  wanted 
to  come  into  camp,  they  would  come  along  the  road 
without  hesitation  or  trying  to  keep  so  quiet,  nor 
would  they  be  prowling  about  in  the  brush  so  near  the 
picket  post.  And  I  further  decided  that  what  I  saw 
was  one  or  more  bushwhackers,  trying  to  discover 
the  man  on  outpost  and  shoot  him,  as  they  did  some- 
times when  opportunity  afforded.  But  they  did  not 
see  me  because  I  was  hid  behind  and  in  the  shade  oi 
a  large  tree.  I  finally  fired  at  what  I  supposed  to  be 
bushwhackers,  and  the  report  of  my  gun  brought  the 
men  composing  the  reserve  picket  out  to  ascertain 
the  trouble.  They  rode  outside  the  picket  line  some 
distance,  but  could  find  no  bushwhackers,  but  found 
fresh  tracks  of  three  men  in  the  dusty  road  in  the 
vicinity  of  where  the  moving  object  had  been  seen. 
In  a  short  time  all  was  quiet  again  and  I  resumed  mv 
watch. 

We  remained  at  White  Station  until  some  time  in 
October,  when  a  number  of  us  whose  three  years' 
service  had  expired  were  sent  to  Springfield  to  re- 
ceive our  discharge,  which  we  received  Oct.  15,  1864, 
and  were  now  free  citizens,  and  immediately  returned 
to  our  homes.  I  had  now  served  Uncle  Sam  three 


IN    BATTLE,   CAMP  AND   PRISONS,   '6l-'6$  243 

years  and  four  months.  The  war  was  fast  drawing 
to  a  close.  When  I  arrived  at  home  the  majority  of 
my  boy  companions  were  yet  in  the  army,  many  of 
them  never  to  return,  having  been  killed  in  battle  or 
died  in  hospital  or  prison. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 
Reminiscences  of  George  W.  Westgate. 

In  the  fall  of  1862,  while  camped  at  Nashville,  Tenn., 
Company  C  went  out  on  a  scouting  expedition,  with 
Lieut.  Shaw  in  command.  John  Houston,  Giles 
Hodge,  Frank  Fuller,  and  George  W.  Westgate  were 
advance  guard.  They  were  traveling  on  a  piked  road, 
covered  with  a  gray  dust,  and  their  uniforms  became 
covered  with  it.  So  much  so,  that  on  approaching  two 
Confederates,  who  were  on  outpost  picket,  they  al- 
lowed our  boys  to  ride  very  near  to  them,  thinking 
they  were  their  own  men ;  and  the  two  Confederates 
were  made  prisoners,  and  were  left  with  the  company. 

The  boys  again  advanced,  across  to  another  pike 
which  led  back  toward  Nashville.  They  saw  ten  Con- 
federates in  front  of  them,  pursued  them  and  captured 
one,  and  left  him  in  charge  of  Houston.  They  fol- 
lowed the  other  nine  men  until  they  were  cornered 
in  a  pasture,  surrounded  by  a  high  board  fence.  Hodge 
was  left  at  the  gate,  while  Fuller  and  Westgate  with 
excited  horses,  uncontrollable,  advanced  into  the 
pasture  in  close  proximity  to  the  Confederates,  who 
were  busily  engaged  in  tearing  down  the  fence,  in 


246  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$ 

order  to  make  their  escape.  Westgate  was  unable  to 
stop  or  guide  his  horse,  which  was  carrying  him  in 
the  direction  of  the  enemy.  To  save  himself  from  be- 
coming a  prisoner  or  being  killed,  he  jumped  from  his 
horse,  throwing  all  his  weight  on  the  left  rein,  which 
caused  the  horse  to  whirl  half  way  around.  Just  at 
that  moment  one  of  the  enemy  fired  at  Westgate,  two 
buckshot  striking  him  in  the  hip.  His  horse  ran  to 
the  gate,  where  Hodge  caught  it.  In  the  meantime 
Fuller  opened  fire  with  his  carbine.  It  seems  that  the 
buckshot  riled  Westgate's  temper;  because,  after  his 
horse  left  him  he  retreated  backwards,  loading  and 
firing  his  carbine  as  fast  as  possible  at  the  enemy,  un- 
til they  got  the  fence  down  and  escaped.  What  un- 
doubtedly saved  the  boys  from  capture  was  that  the 
Confederates  momentarily  expected  Westgate,  Fuller, 
and  Hodge  to  be  reinforced  by -the  company. 

When  camped  near  Memphis,  Tenn.,  in  1864,  a  por- 
tion of  our  regiment  went  out  on  a  scouting  expedition 
and  was  out  all  night.  In  the  morning,  Albert  Scud- 
der,  Rube  Lewis,  Daniel  Towner,  and  George  W. 
Westgate,  received  permission  to  take  a  little  scout 
of  their  own  to  get  a  square  meal.  They  were  only 
partly  successful.  Each  got  a  ham  and  decided  to  go 
back  to  camp.  As  they  were  riding  on  a  pike  across 
some  bottom  land,  at  the  edge  of  which  was  a  large 


IN    BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65  247 

bridge  between  them  and  camp,  Scudder  and  Lewis 
being  about  ten  rods  in  advance  of  Westgate  and 
Towner,  without  warning  eight  or  ten  Confederates 
rose  up  out  of  the  brush  with  their  guns  pointed  at 
Scudder  and  Lewis,  and  within  a  few  yards  of  them, 
demanding  their  surrender,  to  which  they  reluctantly 
assented.  Westgate  and  Towner  immediately  realized 
their  critical  situation  and  started  for  the  bridge;  but 
when  nearing  the  Confeds,  and  seeing  almost  certain 
death  staring  them  in  the  face,  they  wheeled  so  quick- 
ly that  they  imagined  they  could  hear  their  horses' 
tails  snap  like  a  whip,  and  retreated  with  such  tre- 
mendous speed,  that  they  were  almost  unable  to  dis- 
tinguish objects  along  the  wayside.  They  were 
obliged  to  retreat  through  a  country  infested  with 
bushwhackers,  encountering  several  squads  of  them 
before  reaching  camp.  They  finally  reached  camp, 
themselves  and  horses  thoroughly  exhausted,  and  I 
believe  that  the  report  came  that  the  boys  through 
all  their  narrow  escapes,  clung  to  the  hams  which 
they  had  purchased,  until  they  arrived  safely  in  camp. 
It  was  also  reported  that  they  intimated  their  willing- 
ness to  avoid  looking  after  square  meals  in  the 
enemy's  country  for  some  time  to  come.  Scudder  and 
Lewis  were  taken  to  the  prison  pen,  poor  fellows. 
Scudder  returned  from  prison  with  health  ruined,  did 


248  IN    BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$ 

not  enjoy  a  day's  good  health  afterward,  and  died  in 
the  winter  of  1905.  Lewis  returned  with  broken 
health  also. 

At  the  Battle  of  Stone  River. 

On  the  morning  of  Dec.  31,  1862,  Lieut.  Simmons,  of 
Gen.  Palmer's  staff,  and  George  W.  Westgate,  of  Com- 
pany C,  were  sent  on  an  errand  by  the  General,  and 
when  they  returned  and  reported,  the  enemy's  sharp- 
shooters opened  on  them,  and  Westgate  was  shot 
through  the  right  arm,  which  laid  him  up  during  sev- 
eral months.  He  was  ordered  to  the  hospital.  Soon 
after  this  Lieut.  Simmons  was  wounded  by  a  piece  of 
shell,  breaking  several  of  his  ribs.  A  fews  days  later 
Simmons  and  Westgate  received  permission  to  go  to 
their  homes  in  Illinois.  They  started  down  the  Cum- 
berland River  on  a  steamer,  and  after  passing  some 
distance  down  stream,  the  boat  was  captured  by  the 
Confederate  General  Wheeler's  cavalry.  Simmons 
and  Westgate,  with  others,  were  ordered  by  the  Con- 
federates to  leave  the  boat  and  it  was  destroyed  by 
fire.  The  wounded,  including  Simmons  and  Westgate, 
were  then  transferred  to  another  boat  loaded  with 
wounded  on  their  way  north.  Westgate  remained  at 
home  until  his  wound  healed,  then  returned  to  his 
company,  which  was  escort  for  Gen.  Palmer.  West- 
gate  afterward  participated  with  us  in  the  battle  of 
Chickamauga,  and  other  engagements. 


CHAPTER  XV11. 

The  following  is  a  letter  written  by  the  Ohio  boy 
who  occupied  a  small  tent  with  William  Herrick,  and 
the  author  of  this  narrative,  in  the  convalescent  camp 
at  Danville  Prison: 

Columbus,  Ohio,  August  26,  1864. 
My  Friend  Eby: — 

I  was  very  glad  to  receive  a  letter  from  you,  for 
I  had  come  to  the  conclusion  that  you  must  be  in  reb- 
eldom  yet,  as  I  could  hear  nothing  from  you,  but 
here  it  is  at  last.  As  I  know  how  liberty  feels  by  this 
time,  I  can  heartily  congratulate  you  upon  your  re- 
lief from  rebel  tyranny. 

Since  you  request  me  to  give  a  history  of  my  escape, 
I  am  obliged  to  use  a  foolscap  sheet,  and  after  it  is 
full  the  half  is  not  told.  I  was  sick  for  two  or  three 
weeks  after  you  left ;  recovering  very  slowly,  and  was 
quite  weak  when  I  attempted  to  execute  your  plan 
of  informal  exchange.  I  started  in  company  with  an- 
other Ohio  boy,  with  whom  I  became  acquainted 
while  convalescent  together,  from  Danville  smallpox 
hospital,  on  the  night  of  the  15th  of  February,  for  the 
Yankee  lines.  We  received  five  days'  rations  from  the 
steward,  and  consequently  had  plenty  to  eat  without 
calling  on  rebs,  until  we  had  got  quite  out  of  reach  of 


250  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

Danville  guards.  We  traveled  southward,  toward 
Newburn,  N.  C,  thinking  that  route  more  unguarded 
than  the  course  you  took.  We  passed  within  five 
miles  of  Raleigh ;  flanked  Goldsboro  and  Kingston, 
and  succeeded  in  getting  down  within  six  miles  of  our 
lines  at  Newburn,  when  we  were  captured  by  rebel 
cavalry  pickets  while  trying  to  get  something  to  eat- 
at  a  darky  hut. 

We  doubtless  would  have  got  through,  if  we  had 
not  unfortunately  gone  inside  a  terrible  swamp,  to 
get  outside  of  which  we  were  compelled  to  beat  a  re- 
treat. We  were  in  the  swamp  two  days  and  one  night, 
and  came  near  starving.  We  afterward  learned  that 
it  was  ten  miles  wide,  by  twenty  long,  and  was 
a  rendezvous  for  wild  beasts.  We  were  treated  very 
kindly  by  the  guards,  but  unmercifully  by  the  of- 
ficers. We  were  sent  to  Wilmington,  N.  C.,  where  we 
were  ensconced  in  an  old  speculator's  slave  dungeon 
two  days,  and  were  then  sent  to  Salisbury,  N.  C., 
and  thrown  into  a  prison  where  were  about  a  thousand 
men,  consisting  of  rebel  conscripts  who  would  not 
fight,  Yankee  hostages,  and  Union  citizens  who  had 
been  taken  by  Lee  in  Maryland  and  Pennsylvania. 
While  at  Salisbury  I  became  acquainted  with  two 
young  men,  belonging  to  the  Potomac  army,  who  had 
also  endeavored  to  make  their  escape,  but  were  re- 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND   PRISONS,   '6l-6$  251 

captured  after  a  tedious  march  of  150  miles  somewhere 
in  the  region  of  the  Blue  Ridge  Mountains.  We 
hitched  teams  at  once,  and  commenced  digging  tun- 
nels, but  all  to  no  purpose — for  after  digging  three 
tunnels  from  eight  to  twenty  rods  in  length,  we  were 
obliged  to  abandon  the  idea  of  ever  getting  out  in 
that  way,  as  they  began  to  make  daily  searches  for 
tunnels. 

We  had  been  at  Salisbury  about  two  months  when 
they  notified  the  regular  prisoners  of  war  that  they 
must  be  ready  for  transportation  to  Georgia  at  any 
moment.  We  immediately  provided  ourselves  with 
a  caseknife,  filed  teeth  in  the  back  of  it,  and  prepared 
to  make  our  escape  while  en  route  for  Georgia.  We 
were  put  on  the  train  about  6  o'clock,  the  27th  of 
May,  in  box  or  freight  cars  as  usual,  with  four  guards 
in  each  car.  The  car  we  were  in  luckily  had  windows, 
or  holes  for  them,  near  the  ends,  and  so  saved  us  the 
trouble  of  sawing  out.  We  jumped  out  of  the  window 
in  quick  succession  as  soon  as  it  was  cleverly  dark, 
not  far  from  Charlotte,  without  either  of  us  receiving 
any  serious  injury.  The  cars  were  running  at  the 
rate  of  about  twenty  miles  an  hour — in  fact  that  was 
about  the  only  time  we  could  jump  without  being 
seen  by  the  guards.  I  jumped  last,  and  the  cars  were 
running  on  a  grade  of  twelve  or  fifteen  feet  in  height 


252  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND   PRISONS,   '6l-'6^ 

which  caused  me  to  make  several  revolutions  before 
I  came  to  solid  earth.  I  soon  gathered  up  my  loose 
property,  comprising  blanket,  haversack,  and  walking 
stick,  but  the  other  two  boys  were  on  hand — and  after 
a  jolly  laugh  over  the  whole  affair,  and  a  consultation 
as  to  the  route  to  take,  we  set  out  for  the  land  of  the 
living  again — resolved  to  fight  to  the  bitter  end,  rather 
than  be  captured  again.  We  traveled  by  starlight  al- 
together, and  slept  by  sunlight.  We  usually  called 
at  a  house  between  dark  and  bedtime  for  something 
to  eat.  We  succeeded  very  well  in  imposing  upon  the 
credulity  of  secesh,  and  passed  for  rebel  prisoners  who 
had  been  in  the  Yankee  lines  so  long  that  they  had 
given  us  clothes  to  cover  our  nudity..  We  stole  some, 
begged  some,  and  traded  everything  away  for  eatables, 
and  finally  came  into  our  lines  at  Strawberry  Plains, 
Tenn.,  after  traveling  in  eighteen  days  over  320  miles. 

I  tell  you,  Henry,  it  was  an  eventful  era  to  us,  replete 
with  amusing  incidents,  hairbreadth  escapes,  and 
dangerous  expedients.  I  should  like  to  see  you  and 
give  you  a  verbal  relation  of  some  funny  things.  We 
were  all  very  much  worn  out  when  we  came  into  our 
lines — but  we  found  a  home  and  thanked  Providence 
for  his  goodness. 

The  boys  were  from  the  State  of  Michigan  and  one 
of  them  found  his  brother  in  the  10th  Michigan  Cav- 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6 1 -'65  253 

airy,  then  at  that  place.  We  of  course  stopped  to  visit 
with  him.  The  other,  and  myself,  reported  at  Knox- 
ville,  and  were  sent  to  Chattanooga,  where  I  received 
a  furlough  from  Gen.  Thomas  and  came  home,  he 
getting  transportation  for  Detroit  City.  I  have  had 
a  good  time  at  home  since  I  got  able  to  enjoy  myself. 
After  my  furlough  expired  I  reported  at  this  hospital, 
where  I  am  on  duty  in  the  dispensary.  I  do  not  know 
whether  I  shall  go  to  the  regiment  or  not,  probably 
not.  My  health  is  good,  and  I  am  fat.  This  is  not 
rebel  treatment — Oh,  Henry,  I  am  obliged  to  you  for 
those  eatables  you  left  me.  I  think  I  should  not  have 
recovered  so  soon  without  them.  You  have  the  thanks 
of  our  whole  family.  If  you  should  hear  from  Dr. 
Davis,  please  let  me  know,  and  give  me  his  address, 
and  give  him  my  regards.  I  had  a  gay  time  with  the 
girls,  as  you  may  suppose.  "(Aside)  I  came  very  near 
being  eat  up.  I  have  just  read  a  memorial  from  the 
prisoners,  to  the  President,  setting  forth  their  suf- 
ferings. They  are  analogous  to  those  we  endured  at 
Richmond,  etc.  Please  favor  me  with  another  letter, 
and  oblige,  Yours  respectfully, 

Calvin  W.  Hudson,  Co.  D,  65th  Ohio. 

Address    Seminary    Hospital,    Ward    4,    Columbus, 
Ohio. 

H.  H.  Eby,  Esq. 


254  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$ 


Illinois   Monument    on    Orchard    Knob. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

The  author,  having  set  forth  in  the  preceding  pages 
of  this  narrative,  by  many  incidents  of  the  war,  some 
of  the  cruelties  which  war  imposes  upon  people  of  a 
nation  involved  in  it,  will  now  proceed  to  narrate  some 
of  the  consequences  of  war,  which  he  has  seen  and 
experienced.  It  is  hoped  that  the  suggestions  in  the 
following  pages  may  be  seeds  from  which  will  spring 
good  and  lasting  results  in  regard  to  the  mode  of  ad- 
justing disputes  between  nations  and  people,  and 
thereby  prevent  cruel  and  destructive  wars. 

War  is  cruel  at  its  best,  and  a  calamity  to  any  na- 
tion engaged  in  it.  It  is  as  General  Sherman  termed 
it,  "  Hell." 

War  should  be  avoided  whenever  it  can  be  by  honor- 
able means,  but  when  good  and  noble  principles,  peace- 
ful and  honest  people,  are  assailed  and  are  in  jeopardy, 
there  being  no  hope  of  adjusting  trouble  by  peaceable 
means,  then  the  aggressor  should  be  crushed  as 
speedily  as  possible  by  the  employment  of  all  proper 
methods  and  enginery  that  can  be  secured.  All  the 
noble  principles  that  "  Old  Glory  "  represents  should 
be  sustained  at  all  hazards.  Every  citizen  should  ral- 


256  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

ly  in  some  manner  for  the  purpose  of  defending  those 
principles. 

War  is  often  a  destroyer  of  beautiful  and  prosperous 
countries.  It  takes  from  their  homes  men  of  robust 
constitutions,  ruins  their  health,  and  many  are  maimed 
for  life ;  also  many  die  and  never  return. 

War  takes  men  from  their  business,  and  many  from 
their  families,  who  are  often  neglected  and  suffer  on 
account  of  not  having  the  necessaries  of  life.  It  de- 
moralizes the  finances  of  a  government,  which  in  turn 
destroys  industries  and  business  in  general.  Many 
million  dollars  of  war  debts  accumulate,  which  is 
often  a  very  heavy  burden  upon  a  people  and  requires 
many  years  to  extinguish  it.  It  has  been  estimated 
that  less  than  one-third  of  the  amount  expended  by 
the  United  States  Government  for  the  purpose  of 
crushing  the  great  rebellion  from  1861  to  1865  would 
have  been  sufficient  to  pay  for  the  macadamizing  of 
all  the  public  country  roads  in  the  United  States.  The 
statement  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  of  the 
United  States  of  the  amount  of  money  expended  for 
all  purposes  necessarily  growing  out  of  the  War  of 
the  Rebellion,  from  1861  to  1865,  brought  down  to 
Jan.  1,  1880,  amounts  to  the  enormous  sum  of 
$6,189,929,908,  an  amount  almost  beyond  belief;  but 
yet  it  should  not  be  discredited,  as  it  was  computed 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65  257 

from  a  copy  of  an  itemized  statement  of  the  Secretary 
of  the  Treasury  of  the  United  States.  In  addition  to 
the  $6,189,929,908,  about  $3,000,000,000,  paid  to  soldiers 
as  pensions  from  1880  to  1909,  brings  the  entire  cost 
of  the  war  up  to  the  immense  sum  of  $9,189,929,908. 

The  following  figures  give  the  number  of  lives  lost 
in  the  Union  armies  of  the  United  States  during  the 
war  from  1861  to  1865 : 

Killed  in  battle,    67,058 

Died  of  wounds,  43,012 

Died  of  disease, 199,105 

Died  in  prisons,    30,156 

Total,    339,331 

War  is  expensive,  and  should  be  avoided  whenever 
it  can  be  without  relinquishing  noble  principles.  The 
country  traversed  by  large  armies,  both  friend  and  foe, 
in  time  of  war,  is  a  great  sufferer  on  account  of  the 
destruction  of  property,  not  maliciously,  but  as  a 
natural  consequence  of  war.  When  an  army  has  been 
defeated  by  another  it  will  retreat  and  destroy  every- 
thing in  its  rear  that  would  be  of  any  use  to  the  enemy 
pursuing  it.  Roads  and  railroads  are  destroyed  for 
the  purpose  of  delaying  the  pursuing  enemy.  Stock, 
provisions  and  anything  needed  to  supply  an  army 
are  generally  appropriated  for  its  use,  if  regular  sup- 


258  IN   BATTLE,  CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

plies  can  not  be  furnished  by  transportation.  Fences 
are  used  for  fuel  by  the  soldiers  when  on  the  march 
and  at  the  close  of  a  day's  journey  ordered  to  go  into 
camp  by  the  roadside.  Fuel  must  be  secured  from 
some  quarter,  and  generally  fences  are  the  only  sup- 
ply, and  as  a  consequence  large  tracts  of  country  are 
laid  waste. 

Citizens  of  a  country  where  war  is  in  progress  are 
generally  in  a  perilous  situation  as  can  be  learned  by 
the  following  pages.  A  country  frequented  by  oppos- 
ing armies  is  generally  infested  by  scouting  parties 
from  both  armies,  who  are  continually  passing  over 
the  country,  and  frequently  meet  unexpectedly  in 
close  proximity  to  a  dwelling  in  which  people  reside, 
and  firing  begins,  which  occasionally  results  in  the 
passing  of  a  stray  rifle  ball  or  cannon  shot  through 
the  house.  Of  such  incidents  the  author  of  this  nar- 
rative was  an  eyewitness  on  several  occasions. 

Enough  has  been  said  in  former  pages  of  this  nar- 
rative, in  regard  to  the  cruelties  of  war  and  their  con- 
sequences, so  that  people  who  are  willing  to  inform 
themselves  on  this  subject,  and  are  not  prejudiced, 
may  readily  comprehend  the  enormous  blessings  that 
would  be  bestowed  upon  humanity  if  nations  would 
come  to  an  agreement,  abolish  war  from  the  earth, 
and  establish  a  new  era  of  affairs.  The  question  now 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65  259 

confronting  us  is  how  can  war  be  abolished  by  the  na- 
tions of  the  earth,  and  this  new  era  be  brought  about? 
Like  other  great  reforms  a  beginning  would  be  neces- 
sary on  a  sound  basis,  and  perhaps  also  on  a  small 
basis,  which  would  probably  grow  and  become  a  large 
international  arbitration  court,  by  which  many  cruel 
and  destructive  wars  could  be  prevented.  We  suggest 
for  a  beginning  of  an  international  organization,  that 
Uncle  Sam  issue  a  call  to  each  civilized  nation  and 
urge  each  to  furnish  and  send  two  representatives,  in- 
cluding two  from  the  United  States,  to  some  point 
where  they  would  convene  and  organize  a  temporary 
international  court,  in  addition  to  that  already  formed, 
for  the  purpose  of  organizing  a  permanent  interna- 
tional arbitration  court,  which  would  be  endowed 
with  power  to  adjust  and  settle  difficulties  between 
nations  represented  by  such  court.  The  international 
arbitration  court  mentioned  would  of  course  be  only 
in  its  infancy  for  some  time  after  its  organization,  as 
it  would  require  much  time  and  labor  to  complete  and 
make  it  capable  for  its  task,  after  which  great  good 
could  be  accomplished  by  it  by  way  of  arbitration, 
and  enlightening  people  of  the  different  nations  in  re- 
gard to  the  ballot  box,  its  importance  in  many  ways, 
its  sacredness,  and  the  important  duty  of  every  person 
to  honestly  abide  by  its  decisions. 


260  IN   BATTLE,  CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$ 

The  ballot  box  should  be  considered  to  be  the  ark 
of  our  national  covenant  and  safety.  It  is  certainly 
the  ark  of  safety  when  its  decisions  are  obeyed,  and 
they  always  should  be.  The  great  War  of  the  Re- 
bellion from  1861  to  1865  was  caused  by  the  dis- 
obedience of  a  portion  of  the  people  of  the  United 
States  to  the  decision  of  the  ballot  box  in  1860,  which 
elected  Mr.  Lincoln  to  the  presidency  of  the  United 
States.  Some  decisions  by  ballot  may  not  agree  with 
our  views,  but  nevertheless  we  should  obey  them,  as 
it  is  an  evident  fact  that  it  is  dangerous  to  disobey 
them. 

Many  people  will  undoubtedly  hoot  at  the  idea  of 
abolishing  war  from  the  nations.  They  will  argue 
that  there  always  have  been  wars  between  nations 
and  of  course  there  always  will  be.  But  arguments 
do  not  prove  that  war  cannot  be  abolished.  Diffi- 
culties between  nations  have  been  satisfactorily  ad- 
justed in  recent  years,  by  arbitration  and  the  giving 
of  good  advice,  which  proves  beyond  doubt  that  dis- 
putes can  be  settled  without  war.  Perhaps  a  settle- 
ment of  difficulties  between  nations  by  arbitration 
would  not  be  entirely  satisfactory  in  every  case,  but 
it  would  be  a  great  blessing  to  humanity  in  general, 
and  more  satisfactory  than  a  settlement  by  war.  Con- 
siderable time  would  be  required  in  arbitrating  diffi- 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65  261 

cult  cases,  but  on  that  account  much  good  could  re- 
sult, as  during  the  period  of  delay  the  anger  of  the 
disputants  would  undoubtedly  abate,  and  with  the  ad- 
dition of  good  advice  from  the  arbitration  court,  point- 
ing out  the  errors  of  the  disputants,  a  satisfactory  set- 
tlement would  probably  be  the  consequence.  We 
imagine  that  some  people  will  call  the  foregoing  fool- 
ish and  silly  talk.  It  may  appear  to  some  people  as 
such.  Perhaps  the  pessimist  will  say  that  there  is  no 
use  in  trying  to  reform  the  people  of  the  nations,  be- 
cause everything  is  growing  worse,  and  he  has  no 
faith  in  progress.  We  have  great  faith  in  the  work  of 
reforming  the  nations  of  the  earth  in  regard  to  war- 
fare. Some  people  may  say  that  nations  cannot  suc- 
ceed without  war,  but  we  say  they  could  prosper  much 
better  without  it.  We  have  faith  in  reformation,  we 
being  to  some  extent  optimistic,  believing  in  progress 
and  advancing  toward  better  things.  We  have  con- 
fidence in  the  work  of  trying  to  abolish  wars  from  the 
nations,  which  has  already  begun,  and  will  as  we  think 
succeed,  because  people  are  rapidly  becoming  edu- 
cated to  new  ideas,  and  in  many  lands  becoming  more 
Christianized  by  missionary  work.  Men  and  women 
in  their  moral  characters  are  the  real  world  powers. 
A  few  years  ago  Turkey,  a  powerful  nation,  declared 
war  against  Greece,  a  nation  much  inferior  in  strength, 


262  IN   BATTLE,  CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6 1 -'65 

had  entered  Greece  with  a  powerful  army,  and  was 
ready  to  crush  the  little  army  of  Grecians,  when  just 
in  the  nick  of  time  several  nations  combined,  forming 
a  substitute  for  an  arbitration  court,  and  requested 
Turkey  to  stop.  The  request  was  obeyed,  and  the 
beautiful  little  country  of  Greece  was  rescued,  the 
difficulty  adjusted,  and  peace  again  smiled  upon  the 
once  combatants.  In  this  instance,  with  only  several 
governments  combined  to  interfere,  a  nation  was 
saved  from  ruin. 

Other  instances  could  be  cited  where  in  the  past 
very  great  good  has  been  accomplished  by  arbitration. 
It  is  sincerely  hoped  that  the  good  work  will  progress 
rapidly. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 
A  Chapter  to  the  Boys  and  Girls. 

To  the  boys  and  girls,  especially  to  the  boys,  and 
probably  it  would  not  be  injurious  to  men  and  women 
of  all  ages  if  read  by  them.  Millions  of  girls  and  boys 
are  wanted,  and  needed,  possessing  the  following  men- 
tioned good  qualities:  Honesty,  industry,  frugality, 
temperate  habits,  and  everything  that  assists  in  up- 
building a  good  and  noble  character. 

Character  is  like  an  inward  and  spiritual  grace,  of 
which  reputation  is  or  should  be  the  outward  and 
visible  sign.  Millions  of  boys  and  girls  are  needed  to 
become  noble  men  and  women,  for  the  purpose  of 
perpetuating  the  noble  principles  represented  by  the 
United  States  flag — the  flag  that  was  sustained  in  by- 
gone years  by  the  sacrifice  of  several  hundred  thou- 
sand lives,  and  the  expenditure  of  an  immense  treas- 
ure; and  the  flag  that  cheered  us  and  gave  us  new 
life  when  we  saw  its  friendly  folds  waving  over  us 
on  our  return  from  southern  military  prisons.  If 
there  are  any  of  our  boys  and  girls  or  others  who  do 
not  possess  the  good  qualities  spoken  of  in  former 


264  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

lines,  they  would  be  much  benefited  by  acquiring  them, 
which  would  be  the  means  of  forming  good  and  sub- 
stantial characters,  worth  more  than  gold.  By  the 
possession  of  a  good  and  noble  character  you  can  be 
happy,  and  enjoy  life,  and  you  will  be  needed  and 
wanted  to  fill  offices  of  many  kinds,  from  President  of 
the  United  States  down  to  school  director. 

Boys,  each  one  of  you  has  an  opportunity  of  be- 
coming President  of  the  United  States  or  filling  any 
office  from  that  of  President  down  to  the  lowest. 
Dear  boys  and  girls,  work  hard  for  the  attainment  of 
the  highest  character,  as  millions  of  such  are  wanted 
and  needed,  and  they  will  always  be  in  great  demand 
to  fill  good  positions.  Millions  are  also  needed  as 
good  citizens  of  the  United  States.  If  all  our  citizens 
were  of  the  first  class  our  country  would  be  a  very 
pleasant  place  in  which  to  live.  Some  of  you  may  say 
or  think  that  you  cannot  cultivate  your  habits  in 
order  to  build  a  good  character,  that  you  do  not  know 
how.  If  you  will  try  and  persist,  you  can  succeed. 
Study  the  Bible  intelligently,  and  it  will  enlighten  you 
on  the  subject.  Leave  off  bad  habits  and  practice 
good  ones,  and  then  you  will  soon  enjoy  success. 
There  will  always  be  a  good  demand  for  your  serv- 
ices. You  will  be  wanted  as  ministers  of  the  Gospel, 


IN   BATTLE,  CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$  265 

school  teachers  and  other  officials  by  the  hundred 
thousand. 

Uncle  Sam  also  needs  thousands  of  young  men  of 
the  good  qualities  spoken  of  for  the  mail  service,  and 
other  occupations  too  numerous  to  mention.  None 
need  apply  unless  they  are  of  the  best  habits. 

Last,  but  not  least,  millions  of  boys  and  girls  of 
unblemished  characters  are  needed  to  become  noble 
men  and  women,  as  good  citizens  of  the  United  States. 
A  nation's  destinies  are  determined  ultimately  by  the 
ideals  of  its  people.  The  good  and  righteous  men  and 
women  influence  our  whole  people,  and  the  rulers  of 
our  government.  Men  and  women  of  pure  and  noble 
character  in  a  community  may  be  compared  to  beds 
of  beautiful  roses  in  a  lawn.  People  love  to  congre- 
gate about  them,  and  enjoy  their  sweet  and  pleasant 
countenances,  that  speak  for  the  soul,  which  like  the 
beauty  and  fragrance  of  the  rose  permeates  soul  and 
body. 

Dear  boys  and  girls,  and  all :  We  have  a  most 
cheering  consolation  in  the  fact  that  we  are  living 
under  the  protection  of  a  banner  ("  Old  Glory ") 
which  guarantees  equal  rights  to  all.  The  humblest 
child  has  an  equal  opportunity  with  the  one  in  a  high 
station  of  society,  for  education  and  the  attainment  of 
the  highest  position  in  our  government.  It  is  true 


266  IN   BATTLE,  CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

that  many  of  our  best  government  officials,  from  the 
President  down,  were  men  who  attained  their  official 
positions  by  their  own  hard  labor  and  study,  who 
when  boys  were  poor  and  in  humble  station  of  life, 
but  were  honest,  industrious,  frugal,  and  were  work- 
ers for  good  attainments.  Some  of  them,  while  at- 
tending school,  by  strenuous  efforts,  earned  enough 
money  by  doing  odd  jobs  to  complete  a  moderate  edu- 
cation. Boys  and  girls,  be  true  to  yourselves  and 
every  person  you  meet.  Be  honest,  temperate,  in- 
dustrious, and  frugal  and  become  noble  citizens  of 
our  land.  Do  not  waste  precious  time  in  idleness 
while  you  are  young  and  able  to  do  something,  for 
the  time  may  come  when  you  will  not  be  able  to  work. 
What  you  learn  in  your  childhood  days  will  not  de- 
part from  you.  Do  nothing  that  would  be  detrimental 
to  your  character  while  you  are  boys  and  girls,  with 
the  intention  of  reforming  after  you  have  become  men 
and  women,  because  habits  that  are  formed  when  you 
are  young  are  hard  to  reform.  Build  good  characters 
while  you  are  young,  and  do  not  allow  them  to  decay ; 
then  good  will  follow. 

Of  course  these  exhortations  do  not  signify  that  you 
should  not  take  any  time  to  play.  A  certain  amount 
of  play  is  necessary,  but  it  should  be  in  moderation. 
People  strive  for  enjoyment  in  this  life,  and  some  peo- 


IN    BATTLE,   CAMP  AND   PRISONS,   '6l-'65  267 

pie  employ  a  dishonest  method  which  they  imagine 
will  bring  them  enjoyment,  but  instead  brings  sorrow. 
For  example :  A  young  man  who  held  a  good  position 
in  a  bank  imagined  that  if  he  could  come  in  possession 
of  a  large  amount  of  money  it  would  give  him  great 
enjoyment  during  his  lifetime.  He  escaped  with  a 
large  amount  of  money  belonging  to  the  banking 
house  of  which  he  was  an  employee.  He  went  to  a 
foreign  country,  and  there  used  a  small  portion  of 
his  dishonest  gain,  which  he  did  not  enjoy,  as  he  sub- 
sequently confessed.  He  was  captured  and  brought 
back  to  face  his  acquaintances,  and  was  sentenced  to 
the  penitentiary,  which  is  a  very  common  consequence 
in  such  cases.  If  this  young  man  had  obeyed  the  ex- 
hortations of  the  Scriptures,  he  could  have  had  enjoy- 
ment, but  by  his  one  dishonest  act  he  committed  a 
great  sin,  which  ruined  his  character  and  enjoyment. 
He  could  reform,  but  the  faint  marks  of  his  dishonest 
act  would  remain. 

The  work  of  reformation  is  child's  play  to  that  of 
making  your  friends  believe  that  you  have  reformed. 
Boys  and  girls,  resent  every  temptation  to  commit  a 
disreputable  act.  If  you  want  to  enjoy  life  fully,  take 
the  Bible  for  your  guide,  then  you  can  enjoy  this  life 
and  the  life  to  come.  Be  kind  to  the  poor  and  un- 
fortunate, especially  those  who  are  mentally  not  your 


268  IN   BATTLE,  CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$ 

equal.  The  most  cowardly  and  mean  act  that  any  one 
can  commit  is  to  impose  upon  a  person  who  is  de- 
ficient mentally,  who  needs  our  kindness  instead  of 
imposition.  A  person  guilty  of  such  a  crime  should 
be  punished. 

Educate  yourselves  in  a  way  that  will  make  you 
capable  of  dealing  honestly  with  your  fellow  men. 
"Love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself."  (Luke  10:  25-37.) 
Who  is  my  neighbor?  some  person  may  ask.  ,Our 
neighbor  includes  any  one  of  the  human  race  with 
,  whom  we  may  come  in  contact,  without  regard  to 
placeaof  residence;  whether  he  or  she  resides  in  the 
vicinity  of  our  home  or  far  from  us.  Generally  speak- 
ing of  those  people  who  reside  near  our  homes,  we 
speak  of  them  as  neighbors  because  we  meet  them 
frequently,  and  generally  treat  each  other  like  the 
Good  Samaritan  treated  the  man  who  fell  among 
thieves,  which  makes  us  neighborly.  How  can  I  love 
my  neighbor  as  myself?  may  be  asked.  The  answer 
is,  by  having  the  love  of  God  in  your  heart.  When 
you  have  that  you  will  be  in  a  mood  to  treat  your 
neighbors  as  you  wish  them  to  treat  you,  and  will 
love  to  see  them  prosper  as  well  as  you  desire  to  pros- 
per yourself,  and  will  cultivate  your  disposition  in  a 
way  that  will  cause  you  to  have  a  desire  or  inclina- 
tion to  assist  those  who  are  in  distress,  and  jeopardize 


IN   BATTLE,  CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$  269 

your  own  life  for  the  sake  of  saving  your  neighbor's, 
For  example:  You  see  a  fellow  man  standing  upon 
the  railroad  track  near  you,  and  a  fast  approaching 
train  is  about  to  strike  him,  you  would  at  the  risk  of 
your  life  try  to  pull  him  off  the  track  and  save  his 
life.  A  person  doing  the  foregoing  mentioned  good 
deeds  in  the  right  spirit,  is  obeying  the  command, 
"  Love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself."  And  you  will  also  be 
in  a  mood  to  pay  your  debts ;  a  duty  that  is  sadly  neg- 
lected by  some  people. .  Romans  13:  8:  "  Owe  no  man 
anything." 


270  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$ 


Larg-e   Section   of   National   Cemetery. 


CHAPTER  XX. 
Birth  of  "OLD  GLORY." 

"  OLD  GLORY,"  the  stars  and  stripes,  was  born 
on  the  14th  of  June,  1777,  on  which  day  Congress  patri- 
otically resolved  :  "  That  the  flag  of  the  United  States 
be  thirteen  stripes,  alternate  red  and  white ;  the  union 
be  thirteen  stars,  white  in  a  blue  field,  representing  a 
new  constellation."  It  has  never  been  known  to  what 
influence  we  were  indebted  for  the  selection  of  the 
stars  and  stripes  in  our  flag.  Some  have  thought  that 
the  stripes  were  of  Dutch  origin,  for  they  occur  in 
Dutch  armorial  bearings,  while  others  suspect  that 
they  were  introduced  as  a  compliment  to  Washington, 
on  whose  coat-of-arms  both  the  stripes  and  stars  ap- 
pear; but  there  is  no  tangible  evidence  that  either  sup- 
position is  correct. 

The  Father  of  his  Country,  nevertheless,  had  much 
to  do  with  designing  the  first  stars  and  stripes.  It 
was  he,  assisted  by  a  committee  appointed  by  Con- 
gress, who  directed  the  preparation  of  the  first  design. 
They  called  upon  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Ross,  in  Phila- 
delphia, some  time  between  May  23  and  June  7,  1777, 


272  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6 1 -'65 

with  the  request  that  she  should  prepare  the  flag. 
Her  house,  239  Arch  Street,  is,  we  believe,  still  stand- 
ing at  this  writing.  Washington  had  a  rough  draft,  in 
which  the  stars  were  six-pointed.  Mrs.  Ross  proved 
that  five-pointed  ones  would  look  better,  and  her  sug- 
gestion was  adopted.  She  had  the  flag  finished  by 
the  next  day,  and  it  was  received  with  great  admira- 
tion wherever  displayed.  She  was  manufacturer  of 
flags  for  the  government  for  many  years,  her  children 
afterwards  succeeding  to  the  business. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 
The  Consequences  of  Secession. 

Henry  Clay,  Senate  Chamber,  1842. 

Mr.  President:  I  must  take  occasion  here  to  say 
that  in  my  opinion,  there  is  no  right  on  the  part  of 
any  one  or  more  of  the  States  to  secede  from  the 
Union.  War  and  dissolution  of  the  Union  are  identical 
and  inevitable,  in  my  opinion.  There  can  be  a  dissolu- 
tion of  the  Union  only  by  consent  or  by  war.  Con- 
sent no  one  can  anticipate,  from  any  existing  state 
of  things,  is  likely  to  be  given,  and  war  is  the  only 
alternative  by  which  a  dissolution  could  be  accom- 
plished. If  consent  were  given — if  it  were  possible 
that  we  were  to  be  separated  by  one  great  line — in 
less  than  sixty  days  after  such  consent  was  given  war 
would  break  out  between  the  slaveholding  and  non- 
slaveholding  portions  of  this  Union — between  the  two 
independent  parts  into  which  it  would  be  erected  in 
virtue  of  the  act  of  separation.  In  less  than  sixty  days, 
I  believe,  our  slaves  from  Kentucky,  flocking  over  in 
numbers  to  the  other  side  of  the  river,  would  be  pur- 
sued by  their  owners.  Our  hot  and  ardent  spirits 


274  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

would  be  restrained  by  no  sense  of  the  right  which 
appertains  to  the  independence  of  the  other  side  of 
the  river,  should  that  be  in  the  line  of  separation. 
They  would  pursue  their  slaves  into  the  adjacent  free 
States ;  they  would  be  repelled,  and  the  consequence 
would  be  that,  in  less  than  sixty  days,  war  would  be 
blazing  in  every  part  of  this  now  peaceful  and  happy 
land. 

And,  sir,  how  are  you  going  to  separate  the  States 
of  this  Confederacy?  In  my  humble  opinion,  Mr. 
President,  we  should  begin  with  at  least  three  separate 
Confederacies.  There  would  be  a  Confederacy  of  the 
North,  a  Confederacy  of  the  Valley  of  the  Mississippi. 
My  life  upon  it,  that  the  vast  population  which  has 
already  concentrated  and  will  concentrate  on  the 
head  waters  and  the  tributaries  of  the  Mississippi  will 
never  give  their  consent  that  the  mouth  of  the  river 
shall  be  held  subject  to  the  power  of  any  foreign  state 
or  community  whatever.  Such,  I  believe,  would  be 
the  consequence  of  a  dissolution  of  the  Union,  im- 
mediately ensuing;  but  other  Confederacies  would 
spring  up  from  time  to  time  as  dissatisfaction  and  dis- 
content were  disseminated  throughout  the  country — 
the  Confederacy  of  the  Lakes,  perhaps  the  Con- 
federacy of  New  England,  or  of  the  Middle  States. 
Ah,  sir,  the  veil  which  covers  these  sad  and  disastrous 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$  275 

events  that  lie  beyond  it  is  too  thick  to  be  penetrated 
or  lifted  by  any  mortal  eye  or  hand. 

Mr.  President,  I  am  directly  opposed  to  any  pur- 
pose of  secession  or  separation.  I  am  for  staying  with- 
in the  Union,  and  defying  any  portion  of  this  Con- 
federacy to  expel  me  or  drive  me  out  of  the  Union. 
I  am  for  staying  within  the  Union  and  fighting  for  my 
rights,  if  necessary,  with  the  sword,  within  the  bounds 
and  under  the  safeguard  of  the  Union.  I  am  for  vindi- 
cating those  rights,  not  by  being  driven  out  of  the 
Union  harshly  and  unceremoniously  by  any  portion 
of  this  Confederacy.  Here  I  am  within  it,  and  here  I 
mean  to  stand  and  die,  as  far  as  my  individual  wishes 
or  purposes  can  go — within  it  to  protect  my  property 
and  defend  myself,  defying  all  the  power  on  earth 
to  expel  me  or  drive  me  from  the  situation  in  which 
I  am  placed.  And  would  there  not  be  more  safety 
in  fighting  within  the  Union  than  out  of  it?  Suppose 
your  rights  to  be  violated,  suppose  wrong  to  be  done 
to  you,  aggressions  to  be  perpetrated  upon  you,  can 
you  not  better  vindicate  them — if  you  have  occasion 
to  resort  to  the  last  necessity,  the  sword,  for  a  restora- 
tion of  those  rights — within,  and  with  the  sympathies 
of  a  large  portion  of  the  population  of  the  Union,  than 
by  being  without  the  Union,  when  a  large  portion  of 
the  population  have  sympathies  adverse  to  your  own  ? 


276  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

You  can  vindicate  your  rights  within  the  Union  bet- 
ter than  if  expelled  from  the  Union,  and  driven  from 
it  without  ceremony  and  without  authority. 

Sir,  I  have  said  that  I  thought  there  was  no  right 
on  the  part  of  one  or  more  States  to  secede  from  the 
Union.  I  think  so.  The  Constitution  of  the  United 
States  was  made,  not  merely  for  the  generation  that 
then  existed,  but  for  posterity — unlimited,  undefined, 
endless,  perpetual  posterity.  And  every  State  that 
then  came  into  the  Union,  and  every  State  that  has 
since  come  into  the  Union,  came  into  it  binding  itself 
by  indissoluble  bonds,  to  remain  within  the  Union 
itself,  and  to  remain  within  it  by  its  posterity,  for- 
ever. Like  another  of  the  sacred  connections  in 
private  life,  it  is  a  marriage  which  no  human  authority 
can  dissolve  or  divorce  the  parties  from.  And  if  I 
may  be  allowed  to  refer  to  some  examples  in  private 
life,  let  me  say  to  the  North  and  to  the  South,  what 
husband  and  wife  say  to  each  other :  We  have  mutual 
faults ;  neither  of  us  is  perfect ;  nothing  in  the  form  of 
humanity  is  perfect ;  let  us,  then,  be  kind  to  each  other 
— forbearing,  forgiving  each  other's  faults — and  above 
all,  let  us  live  in  peace  and  happiness  together. 

Mr.  President,  I  have  said,  what  I  solemnly  be- 
lieve, that  dissolution  of  the  Union  and  war  are  identi- 
cal and  inevitable;  that  they  are  convertible  terms; 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65  277 

and  such  a  war  as  would  be  following  a  dissolution  of 
the  Union !  Sir,  we  may  search  the  pages  of  history, 
and  none  so  ferocious,  so  bloody,  so  implacable,  so 
exterminating — not  even  the  wars  of  Greece,  includ- 
ing those  of  the  Commoners  of  England  and  the 
revolutions  of  France — none,  none  of  them  all  would 
rage  with  such  violence,  or  be  characterized  with  such 
bloodshed  and  enormities  as  would  the  war  which  must 
succeed,  if  that  event  ever  happens,  the  dissolution 
of  the  Union.  And  what  would  be  its  termination? 
Standing  armies  and  navies  to  an  extent  stretching 
the  revenue  of  each  portion  of  the  dissevered  members, 
would  take  place.  An  exterminating  war  would  follow, 
not,  sir,  a  war  of  two  or  three  years'  duration,  but  a 
war  of  interminable  duration — and  exterminating  wars 
would  ensue  until,  after  the  struggles  and  exhaustion 
of  both  parties,  some  Philip  or  Alexander,  some  Caesar 
or  Napoleon,  would  arise  and  cut  the  Gordian  knot, 
and  solve  the  problem  of  the  capacity  of  man  for  self- 
government,  and  crush  the  liberties  of  both  the  severed 
portions  of  this  common  empire.  Can  you  doubt  it? 

Look  at  all  history — consult  her  pages,  ancient  or 
modern — look  at  human  nature ;  look  at  the  contest 
in  which  you  would  be  engaged  in  the  supposition  of 
war  following  upon  the  dissolution  of  the  Union,  such 
as  I  have  suggested ;  and  I  ask  you  if  it  is  possible 


278  IN   BATTLE,,  CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-6$ 

for  you  to  doubt  that  the  final  disposition  of  the  whole 
would  be  some  despot  treading  down  the  liberties  of 
the  people — the  final  result  would  be  the  extinction 
of  this  last  and  glorious  light  which  is  leading  all  man- 
kind, who  are  gazing  upon  it,  in  the  hope  and  anxious 
expectation  that  the  liberty  which  prevails  here  will 
sooner  or  later  be  diffused  throughout  the  whole  of 
the  civilized  world.  Sir,  can  you  lightly  contemplate 
these  consequences?  Can  you  yield  yourself  to  the 
tyranny  of  passion,  amid  dangers  which  I  have  de- 
picted in  colors  far  too  tame  of  what  the  result  would 
be  if  that  direful  event  to  which  I  have  referred  should 
ever  occur?  Sir,  I  implore  you,  gentlemen,  I  adjure 
them,  whether  from  the  South  or  the  North,  by  all 
that  they  hold  dear  in  this  world — by  all  their  love 
of  liberty — by  all  their  veneration  for  their  ancestors 
— by  all  their  love  of  liberty — by  all  their  regard  for 
posterity — by  all  their  gratitude  to  Him  who  has  be- 
stowed on  them  such  unnumbered  and  countless  bless- 
ings— by  all  the  duties  which  they  owe  to  mankind 
— and  by  all  the  duties  which  they  owe  to  themselves, 
to  pause,  solemnly  to  pause  at  the  edge  of  the  preci- 
pice, before  the  fearful  and  dangerous  leap  is  taken 
into  the  yawning  abyss  below,  from  which  none  who 
ever  take  it  shall  return  in  safety. 

Finally,  I  implore,  as  the  best  blessing  which  Heaven 


IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'6$  279 

can  bestow  upon  me  upon  earth,  that  if  the  direful 
event  of  the  dissolution  of  this  Union  is  to  happen, 
I  shall  not  survive  to  behold  the  sad  and  heartrend- 
ing spectacle. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

Comrades:  After  reading  the  foregoing  patriotic 
speech  made  by  Henry  Clay  in  the  Senate  chamber 
in  1842,  we  feel  inspired  by  the  thought  that  the 
Union  is  not  dissolved,  but  was  restored  by  the  great 
and  glorious  things  that  were  accomplished  by  the 
Union  armies  during  the  war  from  1861  to  1865.  Soon 
after  our  return  home  from  the  war  some  of  us  began  at 
times  to  ask  ourselves  the  following  question:  What 
has  been  accomplished  by  our  three  or  four  years  of 
hardships  in  the  army?  And  sometimes  we  would  al- 
most arrive  at  the  conclusion  that  our  work  had  been  in 
vain.  But  as  years  have  passed  we  were  cheered  by 
the  brightening  of  the  skies.  The  war  debt  was  being 
rapidly  paid  off,  and  many  of  our  former  enemies  were 
becoming  convinced  that  it  was  a  very  great  bless- 
ing for  all  the  people,  North  as  well  as  South,  that  the 
Union  army  was  successful  and  the  Union  restored. 
A  few  years  ago,  while  I  was  in  conversation  with  a 
gentleman  from  the  South  in  regard  to  National  af- 
fairs, he  frankly  remarked  as  follows :  "  The  southern 
people  should  thank  the  Grand  Army  men  for  the 
great  and  good  work  which  they  accomplished  by  re- 
storing the  union  of  all  the  States."  Within  the  last 


282  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65 

ten  or  twelve  years  the  author  of  this  narrative  has 
been  encouraged  in  regard  to  our  National  affairs, 
because  of  the  fact  that  the  hard  work  which  we  did 
during  the  war  has  been  manifested  in  recent  years 
by  good  results. 

Comrades,  we  can  now  see  some  of  the  fruits  of 
our  labor.  Our  government  is  on  a  sound  basis,  and 
is  one  of  the  most  prosperous  on  the  globe.  It  is  the 
government  which  was  sustained  by  the  faithful 
soldiers  of  the  war  from  1861  to  1865,  guided  by  the 
hand  of  Providence.  And  it  is  a  government  endowed 
with  the  best  and  most  humane  laws  in  existence.  It 
is  a  government  that  has  been  and  is  merciful,  and 
since  it  has  become  of  sufficient  strength  has  removed 
the  yoke  of  oppression  from  the  people  of  some  of 
the  islands  of  the  sea,  and  diffused  among  them  liberty 
and  freedom.  It  is  also  a  government  that  is  taking 
the  lead  in  the  good  work  of  adjusting  troubles  be- 
tween nations  by  arbitration. 

During  the  war  from  1861  to  1865  rulers  and  people 
of  foreign  nations  looked  upon  the  probability  of  our 
success  with  suspicion,  because  they  believed  and  said 
that  a  government  by  the  people,  or  a  republican  form 
of  government  could  not  survive  a  great  war  like  the 
Rebellion.  But  they  were  surprised  and  taught  the 
lesson  that  a  free  people  fighting  for  such  principles 


IN    BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6l-'65  283 

as  "  Old  Glory  "  represents,  are  capable  of  surviving 
almost  anything.  By  the  success  of  our  faithful 
soldiers  Uncle  Sam  has  been  enabled  to  grow  up  to 
a  good-sized  boy,  or  we  had  better  say  a  man,  and 
we  think  that  he  is  good  and  kind,  understands  his 
business  and  attends  to  it. 

The  good  principles  which  were  sustained  by  many 
hard  fought  battles  from  1861  to  1865,  and  are  repre- 
sented by  our  good  old  banner,  are  being  diffused  not 
only  among  the  people  of  our  own  country  but  to 
some  extent  among  the  people  of  almost  every  nation 
on  the  globe. 

We  sincerely  hope  that  the  good  work  will  continue 
to  go  forward.  But  what  would  be  the  condition  of 
our  country  and  ourselves  if  the  Southern  Confederacy 
had  been  successful?  The  consequence  would  un- 
doubtedly have  been  as  Henry  Clay  said  in  his  speech. 
It  would  have  been  the  extinction  of  this  last  and 
glorious  light,  represented  by  "  Old  Glory,"  which  is 
leading  all  mankind,  who  are  gazing  upon  it  in  the 
hope  and  anxious  expectation  that  the  liberty  which 
prevails  here,  sooner  or  later  will  be  diffused  through- 
out the  whole  of  the  civilized  world.  Comrades,  we 
have  the  consolation  of  knowing  that  our  work  was 
not  in  vain.  It  resulted  in  the  diffusing  of  more  good 
to  mankind  than  all  nations  ever  before  accomplished. 


284  IN   BATTLE,   CAMP  AND  PRISONS,   '6 1 -'65 

No  proposition  is  better  supported  by  history,  than 
that  "  righteousness  exalteth  a  nation,"  "  but  the 
wages  of  sin  is  death  "  to  a  nation. 

Dear  comrades,  many  of  us  were  permitted  to  re- 
turn from  the  war  to  our  homes  with  our  lives,  but 
many  with  broken  health,  caused  by  the  fatigues  of 
the  march,  the  wearisome  camp,  the  heat  of  summer, 
the  frosts  of  winter,  and  the  awful  ecstacy  of  battle. 
We  now  love  to  meet  each  other  at  the  post  meeting, 
at  the  campfire,  and  above  all,  at  our  reunions.  But 
while  we  thus  enjoy  ourselves  to  some  extent  we  are 
thinking  of  the  fallen.  With  a  soldier's  generosity 
we  wish  they  could  be  here  to  share  in  our  hard- 
earned  pleasures.  Possibly  they  are  here,  from  many 
a  grave  in  which  we  laid  them.  Many  of  them  died 
in  the  darkest  hours  of  the  Republic,  others  in  the 
early  dawn  of  peace  while  the  morning  stars  were 
singing  together.  We  should  meet  at  every  reunion 
possible.  I  trust  that  we  will  meet  in  a  reunion  where 
there  will  be  no  parting.  Farewell.  From  the  author. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBANA 


07B\E7RVATIONS  OF  AN  ILLINOIS  BOY  IN  BATTL 


